Tikhonov called fencers Sergei and Violetta Bida, who fled to the USA, traitors
Four-time Olympic biathlon champion Alexander Tikhonov criticized Russian fencers Sergei and Violetta Bida who fled to the United States. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.
Tikhonov called the athletes traitors and called for their citizenship to be deprived. “Let them live there, and it will be an example for everyone. Who will need them there? But they don’t understand this. I think this was caused by their momentary weakness. And this is a very wrong decision,” he said.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put the Bida fencers on the wanted list. According to the Shot Telegram channel, they face up to ten years in prison under Article 337 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Unauthorized abandonment of a unit or place of service”).
Sergei and Violetta Bida were active officers in the Russian army when they voluntarily left for the United States in 2023 to move to California. He was a member of the Moscow Dynamo and had the rank of ensign of the Russian Guard, and she was an active service member of the Ministry of Defense in the capital’s CSKA. According to TASS, in the States, athletes took part in competitions without the consent of the Russian side, thus violating the regulations.
Sergei Bida is a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the team epee fencing tournament. He also became the European champion three times in the team. Violetta Bida has silver medals at the World Championships and the European Championships in the team epee tournament.
Source: Lenta
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