OLYMPICS TOKYO 2020 RUSSIA
Moscow, Sep 11 (EFE) .- The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, today decorated the Russian athletes who won gold medals in the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, in which Russian athletes participated under the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee due to the sanctions imposed on Russian sport for doping.
“Russian athletes performed with dignity at the Tokyo Olympics,” he said during the ceremony, noting the difficulties that athletes had to face to participate in this sporting event, referring to the immense physical effort and limitations imposed by the pandemic of coronavirus.
The president added to the logical difficulties of any competition “the politicized decisions against our country and our team”, in reference to the two-year suspension of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and due to which Russia went to Tokyo without flag or anthem.
However, Putin noted, Russian athletes passed all tests and defended Russia’s sporting honor with dignity, gifting their fans with sporting victories and “the unifying feeling of pride.”
“You are in every way gold champions, our main heroes, and I’m not afraid to say it, the pride of Russia,” he stressed.
The president defended that “the Tokyo Olympiad convincingly confirmed our undisputed world leadership (…), the continuity of the best national traditions in the preparation of champions.”
In addition, he stressed that the successes of the Russian team in the past Games are an example for the young generations and stressed the importance of these victories for the country’s sports development.
Putin expressed the assurance that difficult times for Russian athletics will soon end, allowing athletes to regain their leadership at the world level.
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