Deputy Zhurova called the possible postponement of the Friendship Games unpleasant for athletes
The postponement of the Friendship Games to next year will be unpleasant for the athletes, says Olympic champion, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Svetlana Zhurova. In a conversation with Lenta.ru, she spoke about a possible change in the date of the tournament.
This is not very pleasant for our athletes, because they were counting on these prize money, they trained for three years
At the same time, the deputy noted that it would be more logical to hold the Friendship Games in 2025.
“I admit that it is more reasonable that the Friendship Games are held outside the year of the Olympics, and this does not greatly irritate the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – supposedly this is an alternative to the Olympic Games. When it’s not the year of the Olympics, it looks like another international competition, why not hold it. Maybe there will be less of a political component right away,” the parliamentarian added.
Svetlana Zhurova also noted that the winners of the Paris Olympics in the first few months after the end of the tournament will be in great demand in the media field and for this reason they may miss the Friendship Games if they are held in September 2024 as planned.
An informed source told Sport Express about the possible postponement of the Friendship Games. According to the publication’s interlocutor, they could take place in 2025. This initiative is being discussed with the country’s top leadership and may be supported in the near future. The material says that this is not related to foreign policy pressure from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and foreign countries.
The Friendship Games are scheduled to take place in Moscow and Yekaterinburg in September 2024. During the tournament, they plan to hold competitions in 33 summer Olympic and non-Olympic sports.
Source: Lenta
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