Honored coach of the USSR in figure skating Tatyana Tarasova commented on the ban for Ukrainian athletes to communicate with the media in Russian during the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. Her words are quoted by Sport-Express.
“What’s wrong with that? You know that their president issued a decree that they should not speak Russian. If our athlete is approached and asked to speak Ukrainian, he will not speak it either, ”explained Tarasova. She added that Russians also communicate only in the national language and in English.
On January 31, Ukrainian figure skater Ivan Shmuratko, during a meeting with media representatives before the start of the Olympics, answered questions in Russian in English. He stressed that he had come to do his job.
On January 21, the Ministry of Sports of Ukraine advised the athletes to refuse interviews in Russian. Also, athletes from Ukraine were forbidden to pose for joint photos with the Russians.
The Winter Olympic Games in Beijing will be held from February 4 to 20.
Source: Lenta
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