Russian State Duma Deputy and Olympic champion Svetlana Jurova emphasized that in sports, it is not the country of origin but talent and skill that matters. Jurova stated that athletes enter the field with qualities such as strength, speed, agility, artistic ability, and coordination.Athletes should be evaluated based on their performance, Jurova said, “An athlete should be judged by their performance, not by the country they belong to or the politicians behind them. This is a matter for politicians; let them compete with words and rhetoric, athletes compete in a different area.”Jurova also touched upon the recent changes to the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) charter, stating that this step was taken in response to criticism from countries dissatisfied with the actions of the US and Israel.
Note that if an athlete is truly exceptional, the whole world supports them. Does everyone support Lionel Messi today? Yes. Are they discussing his Argentine origin? Probably not. It was the same for our athletes: Mirra Andreyeva received support from a wide audience.
The IOC faced serious objections from other countries that were dissatisfied with the actions of the US and Israel: 'If you are so principled, why don’t you disqualify them?' they were asked. The IOC made changes to its charter to protect itself from these annoying questions.
Jurova noted that what spectators want to see, both in the stands and on screen, is the beauty of sports, and that the national element only comes to the fore when supporting one's own athletes.
