Russian athletes who participate in the Olympic Games under a neutral flag and, if they win, will play part of the Tchaikovsky piano competition instead of the national anthem, have received pre-made answers to a number of questions posed by regular and professional interviewees (press officers) during the event. They can ask them – quotes The Moscow Times reported the trade newspaper Vedomosztyi. This is how the Russian Olympic Committee wants to arm them against “provocative” issues.
The first recommended answer is: No Comment! No doubt this should not be a problem if someone asks a Russian athlete interested in public affairs what we think, for example, Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Russian predictions of the Black Lives Matter movement, or the doping scandal rocking the sport Russian, which revealed that they were trying to push Russian athletes with state help.
Another pre-made answer is: “Sports need to stay out of politics!”. This should be asked when asking a well-trained Russian athlete about Crimea. In the case of discrimination against gays or any other minority, the answer is “The Olympics must not become a field for action or political gestures.” We can even say that these are written answers to questions that arise.
Beware, comrades!
If an athlete is asked what he or she thinks about sexual harassment between athletes and their coaches, he or she should come up with one of the ready answers: “I have not had one in my sports career, but I know this problem exists in many countries.” Vedomosti notes that the PR who invented these did not have to be innovative, they only had to revive and somewhat modernize the methods that proved their value in the Soviet era.
Information spreads rapidly in today’s world, so any unthought-out response that strikes the ears of well-educated malicious people can have negative effects very quickly, explaining the crux of the problem to potentially gullible athletes unprepared for the machinations of talk. Sugar uncles. Be careful, and pay attention to what you say or sign or what photos have been taken of you.
It will be better than it was four years ago
The athletes have warned the Russian Olympic Committee, according to Vedomosti, that although they do not represent Russia on paper but will participate in the Olympic Games as a private individual, they will act as if their country has officially sent them to the event. The little boy specifically warns Russian athletes not to refuse any participation in events related to doping, not to mention related issues. You should not even mistakenly contact those who have imposed doping-related sanctions on Russia.
A total of 335 Russian athletes will travel to Tokyo, unlike the Rio Olympics, where there were only 271 athletes, after the International Olympic Committee allowed this number only due to the doping scandal. Sanslav Rozdnyakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee, told reporters he expected this year’s team to improve in its performance at the time, which finished fourth on the medal table.
