MINSK, 30 November (BelTA) - Talks about changing the national flag of Belarus are absurd, Vasilisa Marzalyuk, two-time champion of the European Games, multiple prizewinner of the world and European championships in women's wrestling, said on the air of the STV channel, BelTA has learned.
"We should appreciate what we have. Talks about changing the flag looks absurd to me. Sovereign Belarus is associated with the red-green flag, I have competed under it all my life. Many times I carried this flag in my hands and I am proud of it. I hope that at the Olympics I will also be able to compete under this flag," the athlete said.
Speaking about the address of famous Belarusian athletes to the public, Vasilisa Marzalyuk stressed that, by signing it she wanted to express her opinion, to show her attitude to sport and the current situation. "Naturally, we want to defend our cause, profession and the Olympic movement in our country. I receive a lot of unpleasant feedback in connection with this address, but I was prepared for much of this. But there is a lot of support, too, and I can feel it. Sport should unite should not be mixed with politics. Yet, people respond differently to our address. A lot of people support us. Many people do not want to do it openly because of the hate campaign on the internet,” she said.
The two-time European Games champion said by signing this address Belarusian athletes want to defend the interests of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus too. “We hope that we will succeed in this and there will be fewer problems. The NOC has received several letters from the Sports Solidarity Fund, and the committee is looking into every case. It is possible that there were cases when people were treated unfairly. The NOC assesses the situations and responds to the International Olympic Committee. All this is very dangerous because in the worst case scenario, the NOC may be be stripped of the Olympic accreditation. This means that athletes will not be allowed to represent our country at the Olympics. They will be able to take part in the Games only under the neutral flag of the International Olympic Committee,” Vasilisa Marzalyuk explained.
