Russian Olympic Committee president hits out at IOC after top athletes excluded
Source: Associated Press
Russian Olympic Committee president hits out at IOC after top athletes excluded
May 11, 2023
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The president of the Russian Olympic Committee indicated Thursday that the country could boycott qualifying competitions in fencing for next year’s Paris Games after some athletes, including his own daughter, were barred from competing.
The International Olympic Committee recommends letting competitors from Russia and Belarus compete as neutral athletes without national symbols after the invasion of Ukraine, but still excluding those employed by the military or security services, or those who have publicly backed the war.
Two-time gold medalist Yana Egorian and all three of the gold medalists in women’s team saber from the Tokyo Olympics — Sofya Velikaya, Olga Nikitina and Sofia Pozdniakova — were refused after vetting from the International Fencing Federation, Russian Fencing Federation president Ilgar Mamedov told state news agencies.
Pozdniakova is the daughter of Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-fencing-ukraine-pozdnyakov-olympics-25b75e966d96b5399c88d53e1f76beae