"I've never been so humiliated": world champion pledged allegiance to Putin and became a laughingstock on the Internet

The famous Russian figure skater Ilia Averbukh, in a patriotic frenzy, congratulated Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin on his birthday, who turned 72. The 2002 Olympic vice-champion and world champion of the same year admired the achievements of Russian sports during the Kremlin leader's rule and became a laughingstock online.

"I don't think anyone in the history of Soviet and Russian sports has ever had such an attitude to sports, the construction of sports facilities, the provision of athletes, and their motivation as Putin! These are not just words – just look at the huge number of sports facilities, including my favorite ice palaces, that exist in all regions of Russia. Of course, a tremendous amount of responsibility and pressure falls on his shoulders every day. I am with my president!" Averbukh told Sport24.

Readers of the Sports.ru portal noted that the figure skater had forgotten about the huge doping problems in Russia, as well as the shameful flagging of Russian athletes and their suspension from international competitions.

"Never in history has Russian sport been so humiliated by the efforts of the guarantor. Excluded from all international institutions, suspended from all sporting events, world outcasts", "But in all of history there has never been such a disgrace with doping, never so many deputies-athletes", "And there has never been such motivation to train and keep fit until retirement", "It has never happened that they compete only with themselves,"  they write in the comments.

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