Wiener called homeless people without a flag those who want to go to the Olympic Games in a neutral status

It will be humiliating for athletes to go to the Olympics in Paris in a neutral status, said the President of the All-Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics (VFKhG) Irina Viner in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“In Paris they said that Russians should compete in a team of homeless people, and this is now being implemented. A team of homeless people without a flag, an anthem, or fans will go to the Olympics,” – noted Wiener.

She emphasized that the situation would be different if all athletes in the world competed in a neutral status. Now all participants in sports competitions perform with the flag and anthem of their country, except for Russia.

According to Wiener, it is humiliating for medalists to stand under a white flag, and for champions “to also have music similar to a funeral march instead of the anthem.”

Let us recall that on March 14, the head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, announced that Russia would not boycott the Olympic Games and other IOC events. However, the ROC considers the conditions imposed on Russians to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris unacceptable and discriminatory. Pozdnyakov pointed out that, unfortunately, “Paris 2024 cannot provide equal conditions for Russian Olympians.”

Let us recall that on December 8, 2023, the IOC allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Games in a neutral status and under “strict conditions.” A few days later, the organization reduced the number of quotas. In Russia this was considered humiliating for domestic sports.

A month later, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said that Russian and Belarusian athletes admitted to competitions in Paris would be re-tested with the participation of independent organizations.

On February 29, the committee announced that there would be no new recommendations on the admission of Russians to competitions in Paris and the decision of the executive committee of December 2023 remains unchanged. On March 4, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the activities of the IOC and its head Thomas Bach “a betrayal of all the ideals of Olympism.”