MOSCOW, 1 June (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia remain committed to Olympic values and no sanctions can change that, President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov told reporters on the sidelines of the international Forum for Young Olympians, BelTA has learned.
“The National Olympic Committees of Belarus and Russia are highly committed to the fundamental Olympic values, including friendship, respect and striving for excellence,” the ROC president said. “As for friendship, Belarus and Russia are close to each other like no other nations and the participation of young Olympians from Belarus in the forum confirms this entirely,” he added.
“The second thing is respect for your rivals. Famous athletes, Olympic champions will teach this at the forum. As for the striving for perfection, it is inherent in every athlete and no destructive measures, no sanctions can change this. Therefore, as soon as we realize that we are self-sufficient and that elite sport is not confined only to titles, we will make a big step forward. Today I would like our young participants of the forum to hear this and understand that we have everything in place to hold competitions in Belarus and in Russia, in other friendly countries. I do not see any difficulties, especially in those sports where Belarusians and Russians are traditionally strong. We can complement each other, create the best conditions for our national teams. And I am sure that we will follow this path regardless of external factors,” the ROC president said.
Speaking about the sanctions against Belarusian and Russian athletes, Stanislav Pozdnyakov emphasized that they are unprecedented. “This has never happened throughout the entire history of the Olympic movement. We have always known that culture and sport are beyond politics. Yet, today, the reality has changed, but we haven't. So, we had to reschedule events, but the athletes keep training just as hard as before, and sports facilities are being built as planned. Now we have more time to get to know each other better,” Stanislav Pozdnyakov said.
“I enjoy coming to Minsk. And I am sure that we will continue the exchange of athletes' missions. Minsk has hosted a great event - the forum of athletes, this is a very important event. I am sure that such communication coupled with sports potential will help us maintain momentum in sport,” he said.
The Irina Viner-Usmanova Gymnastics Palace in Moscow is hosting the two-day international Forum for Young Olympians on 1 June. It was attended by a big delegation from Belarus: more than 60 young athletes across 22 sports. The forum discusses the latest developments in physical and special training, psychology, rehabilitation after injuries, as well as anti-doping programs.
