Deputy Svishchev asked the IOC questions about the desire of fencer Bida to compete for the United States
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev demanded an explanation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) because of the desire of Sergei Bida, who escaped from Russia, to compete for the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The deputy voiced his opinion on this topic in a conversation with Lenta.ru.
“For me, this (the athlete’s desire to compete for the United States is approx. “Tapes.ru”) is no longer news. The topic has long been discussed in sports circles, in the Fencing Federation, in the Russian Olympic Committee, and in the Ministry of Sports. But the question is different. I’m interested in the position of the IOC,” said Svishchev.
The deputy noted that, at the request of the IOC, Russian athletes who are representatives of sports clubs of law enforcement agencies are not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games.
Even if Bida doesn’t consider himself one now, he and his wife for several years were representatives of sports clubs of our law enforcement agencies
“Here it is necessary to get an explanation from the International Olympic Committee: will athletes who represented law enforcement agencies be allowed in or not? Or will there be any exceptions? There are a lot of questions. What worries me is not the fact that they will play for the American team – this is already a fait accompli, he has already left Russia. Now there are complaints against him, but this is already a clear story. And I’m interested in the position of the IOC. I would like to get clarification,” Svishchev concluded.
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On January 12, it became known that fencers Sergei and Violetta Bida, who had escaped from Russia, wanted to compete for the United States. The athletes intend to obtain American citizenship and qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
On December 26, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put Sergei and Violetta Bida on the wanted list. 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”). At the time of leaving the country, Sergei Bida was listed in the Moscow Dynamo and had the rank of ensign of the Russian Guard. His wife was previously a serviceman of the Ministry of Defense in the capital’s CSKA.
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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