In Russia, a skier was caught for "thinking" of competing at the Olympics without the Russian flag

The President of the Russian Cross-Country Skiing Federation, Yelena Välbe, criticized 23-year-old Anastasia Faleeva, who expressed her desire to compete in the Olympic Games in a neutral status. The three-time winner of the Games in Albertville-92, Lillehammer-94 and Nagano-98 was outraged that her ward "has such thoughts."

Välbe said this in a commentary to the Sport Day by Day publication. The former skier, who is a member of Putin's United Russia party, noted that Faleeva's words came as a surprise to her, as she had previously "spoken to the athlete individually."

"I spoke to her individually. I am very sorry that my athlete has such thoughts. Her words probably came as a surprise to me. Unfortunately, I was not present during this interview, so I do not always believe everything that is written. They can ask questions in different ways," said Välbe.

It should be noted that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed Russian athletes to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in a neutral status in individual events. The decision on the 2026 Games to be held in Italy will be made later.

At the same time, the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation has already stated that they refuse to participate without the flag and anthem in all international competitions. Swimmer Yevgeny Rylov also refused to travel to Paris.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, two-time Olympic champion Svetlana Ishmuratova made a nonsense statement that the world sports community could not exist without Russia.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!