MP Kosachyov insists Russian sports officials be punished for athletes' situation
MOSCOW. Dec 5 (Interfax) - Russian sports officials should be held personally responsible for 'failing to notice' the anti-Russian campaign in sports, Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachyov said on his Facebook page.
"We can be indignant with the West as much as we want, and, might I add, justly. But I am sure that our sports officials should be held personally liable for failing to notice the beginning of this campaign and being clearly unable to deal with its finish," Kosachyov said.
"The IOC's decision on Russia. A nasty decision. No doubt this is part of the West's general policy of deterring Russia. They strike against our national dignity (by rewriting history), our reputation (by calling us aggressive and fraudulent), and our interests (by imposing sanctions). That's the aggregate. Alas, this is not the end of story," Kosachyov said.
It would be wrong to prohibit Russian athletes from taking part in the Pyeongchang Games, Kosachyov said. "I personally believe it is inadmissible for our national team to compete under the white flag. Yet it would be wrong and unfair to impose a centralized ban on the participation of our athletes in competitions they have been preparing for their entire lives," he said.
This is a case when everyone should decide on one's own, while "the country should be wise and support sports, rather than politics," Kosachyov said.