"It's very dangerous!" In Russia, athletes who agree to participate in the 2024 Olympics are being harassed

Valentina Rodionenko, the head coach of the Russian gymnastics team, called the athletes who agree to compete in the 2024 Olympics in a neutral status traitors. She categorically opposed even discussions of the possibility of Russian representatives traveling to Paris next summer.

Rodionenko, who had previously announced her team's refusal to go to the 2024 Games, said this in an interview with Sport24. The henchman of Vladimir Putin's dictatorial regime also accused the organizers of the Olympics of failing to ensure the safety of Russian athletes.

"The IOC said there would be no questionnaires for athletes, which I don't believe in at all. They do not guarantee the safety of our athletes at all! And what kind of clashes are going on at our embassies abroad against the backdrop of the presidential elections in Russia? It is very dangerous! On top of that, we were deprived of everything: the flag, the anthem, symbols, and even clothes. Everything is clear with the Olympics in Paris, and there is no need to raise any questions on this topic. Maybe some of our athletes will decide to go there in a neutral status, but for me these people will be equivalent to artists who fled Russia," Rodionenko said.

Earlier, the coach of Russian gymnasts said she was "surprised" that Ukraine does not understand why it wants to "remove Russia" from world sport. And the winner of the Tokyo Games, Nikita Nagorny, accused the IOC of violating the rights of Russians.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has published the conditions for the participation of Russian athletes in the 2024 Games. The new bans caused hysteria in the aggressor country.

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