At the World Cup, the Russian anthem suddenly played. The organizers did not care about all the prohibitions

It is almost impossible to hear the Russian anthem at international competitions today. Our country finds itself under unprecedented sanctions, with no end in sight. However, among international sports officials there are sometimes brave people who are able to stand up against injustice and discrimination. At least, until recently there were such things.

In 2021, the Russian anthem was unexpectedly played at an international tournament despite all sanctions.

Unexpected reward

Marina Letaeva was never interested in cycling. By the age of 40, she had raised two children and worked as a manager at a fitness gym. Then she started running and doing triathlons, and during the coronavirus pandemic, she suddenly discovered cycling. Marina began skating almost every day and soon became one of the best amateurs in Russia. And in 2021, she even went to the World Championships.

Amateur competitions in East Sarajevo became Letaeva’s finest hour. She came to the finish line first, beating, among other things, her rivals who had races at the professional level behind them. And standing on the podium, Marina suddenly heard something that other Russian athletes (even pros!) can only dream about – the anthem of her native country.

There was an awkward pause as the award ceremony began. Letaeva did not understand what was happening. Then Tchaikovsky’s music, which was usually used instead of the official Russian anthem due to sanctions by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), began to play. However, the classic melody was interrupted in the middle to… turn on a real anthem! As soon as she heard the first notes, Marina was delighted.

It turned out that the head of the Balkan Cycling Union, Vladimir Kuvalya, personally ordered the inclusion of the official anthem of our country. The functionary explained his decision by saying that WADA’s sanctions against Russia are unfair and every athlete who wins a competition has the right to hear his national anthem. He also confessed his love for our country and added that he would do the same if such an opportunity presented itself.

No apologies!

Immediately after the incident, a big scandal broke out. Kuvalya was accused of violating the sanctions regime, and the International Cycling Union (UCI) demanded that the functionary apologize for his action. Kuvalya flatly refused, saying that he would have done the same for an athlete from any other country and accused Russia’s spiteful critics of double standards.

Soon Kuvalya was called to Paris, where the organizers of the main cycling races in the world were meeting. There, apparently, they had an explanatory conversation with the Balkan official, but they did not remove him from his post. And the admonitions of world cycling leaders did not help much. Subsequently, Kuvalya continued to support Russian athletes in every possible way. Even after our country’s total exclusion from competitions, he claimed that he was waiting for cyclists from Russia at his races.

Vladimir Kuvalya, head of the Balkan Cyclists Union / Photo: © Personal archive of Vladimir Kuvalya

Unfortunately, the efforts of one person are lost against the backdrop of a large-scale anti-Russian campaign. The Balkan Cycling Union cannot go against such powerful organizations as the IOC and WADA. In the end, you need to think about your own interests. Last September, Kuvalya admitted: the International Olympic Committee puts a lot of pressure on his organization and even prohibits holding races. All, according to Vladimir, because of his position on removing the Russians.