MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. Olympic competitions, for instance, hockey tournaments, will be incomplete without the participation of all Russian athletes, said Honorary President of the Russian Olympic Committee, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Alexander Zhukov.
"Most of the Russian athletes will not participate in this Olympics. In violation of the Olympic charter, they are still banned from international competitions for political reasons. It is obvious that in many sports our athletes are among the strongest in the world and without them the Olympic tournaments will be secondary, for example, the hockey tournament," he told reporters.
Zhukov said that some Russian athletes still managed to go to this Winter Olympics "without a flag and anthem," like figure skaters Petr Gumennik, Adeliia Petrosian and skiers Natalia Nepryaeva and Saveliy Korostelev. "Of course, it will be very difficult for them to perform in such a situation, but we wish them good luck and will cheer for them," the deputy said.
According to him, the situation with the admission of Russian athletes is beginning to change, since in some sports they have already been admitted to international competitions. "The Paralympians will perform with a flag and an anthem. The other day, [Gianni] Infantino, FIFA president, started talking about allowing our national team in. In general, the process is underway, and I am sure that all our athletes will return to the international sports arena," said the parliamentarian.
About the Olympic Games
The XXV Winter Olympic Games start today. The Russians will act in a neutral status. A total of 13 Russian athletes will take part in the Games, including figure skaters Petrosian and Gumennik, ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov, short-track skaters Alyona Krylova and Ivan Posashkov, speed skaters Ksenia Korzhova and Anastasia Semyonova, skiers Nepryaeva and Korostelev, luge skiers Darya Olesik and Pavel Repilov, skiers Yulia Pleshkova and Semyon Yefimov.
When will the Russians perform
On February 7, they will compete for medals. On this day, Nepryaeva will run the skiathlon, and Korzhova will compete in the 3,000 m race. The first races will be driven by Repilov. On February 8, the skiers will have a men's skiathlon, Pleshkova will compete in the downhill, and Repilov will hold the last two races.
The next day, only Olesik will start. Her races will end on February 10, on the same day there will be sprints in cross-country skiing, a short program of figure skaters and qualifications in the short track (women's 500 m and men's 1,000 m).
After that, Russian athletes will return to competition only on February 12, when the short-track qualifying races, the women's ski supergiant final, and the women's 10 km ski race with a separate start will take place. A day later, the men's ski race with a separate start and the free program for men's singles in figure skating will take place. On February 14, the Russians will perform only in the short track. In case of successful performances in the early stages, they will be able to participate in the competition on February 15 and 16.