In the turmoil of Russian sports, Julia Yefimova wants to swim in Paris | Sports

It is estimated that several dozen Russian athletes may participate in the Paris Olympics, despite their country’s bombing of Ukraine.

The International Olympic Committee, which granted such a right, only allows competition in neutral status, causing confusion in Russia, where much of the public submits to President Vladimir Putin’s reign of terror.

Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be able to participate in the opening and closing events of the Olympic Games, and will not be able to use the flags and anthem.

So the Russians, who are in an uncomfortable position, are distracted a few months before the Games in Paris.

Russia’s most decorated swimmer Yulia Yefimova is among those who want to compete in the Olympic Games.

“I dreamed about it,” the 32-year-old athlete told the Russian propaganda newspaper Sport-express. – Perhaps, if I had won the Olympic gold medal, I would also say that it no longer makes sense for me to go there.

But I don’t have that status at the moment, so I’d like to go there. But again – if there is an adequate relationship. If they are completely unacceptable, of course I won’t go.”

J. Jefimova has won three medals in four Olympic Games: bronze in 2012 in 200 m breast and two silver awards in 2016 in 100 and 200 m breast.

Since the beginning of Russia’s extensive military invasion of Ukraine, the swimmers of the aggressor country could not compete in world competitions, so J. Yefimova took a break in her career and only appeared in Russian local competitions at the end of last year.

However, the World Aquatic (International Swimming Federation) has made a decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete.

J. Jefimova does not yet have the right to swim in Paris during the games from July 26 to August 11, but she can get it if she fulfills the norms in international competitions in the coming months.

The world and European swimming champion has not spoken publicly about her country’s war in Ukraine.

During the third year of terror in Ukraine, only a few Russian athletes have spoken out against the war in public.

There are more who have expressed approval of V. Putin’s crimes.

Such people have recently spoken out against participation in the Olympic Games, in which they would not be able to participate anyway – the International Olympic Committee has specified a condition that Russian and Belarusian athletes who belong to military structures or support the war will not be able to participate in the Games in Paris.

For example, among such is the swimmer Yevgenijs Rylovs, who participated in a concert organized by the Kremlin in Moscow in support of the occupation of Crimea in 2022, wearing an outfit with the letter “Z” symbolizing aggression.

“Scanpix” photo/Yevgenijus Rylovas

Putin’s henchmen include more politicians and sports officials who have recently called for a boycott of the Olympics.

They never talk about the reasons why Russian athletes are sanctioned by the international community, they are silent about the experiences of the people of Ukraine, but they complain about the International Olympic Committee, calling its rules on neutral status against Russians “discrimination”.