PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Russian Olympic gold medalist Veronika Stepanova is furious at how her home country is being treated.
Now Linn Svahns responds to the Russian star’s outburst.
– Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But I still find it very worrying, says the Swede to SportExpressen.
Last season bloomed Veronika Stepanova out at the top of the world in cross-country skiing. The 21-year-old had a big, decisive role in Russia’s Olympic relay gold in Beijing earlier this year.
Russian ski fanatic
But lately, the young Russian has been making headlines for her mouth and not her performance on the ski track. Stepanova has both praised the Russian president Vladimir Putin and showed its support for the home country’s offensive warfare against Ukraine.
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When the International Skiing Federation, Fis, recently decided to ban all Russian and Belarusian skiers from the World Cup, Stepanova was furious and launched a fierce attack on the skiing world. The Russian also sends an angry greeting to Sweden.
– The planet is too small to build walls, Russia will not stop being one of Sweden’s closest neighbors, you have to start accepting us just as we accept you, she said in an interview with SVT.
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Linn Svahn’s answer
The Swedish skiing star Lynn Svahn is one of the Swedes who has been clear about her position on the issue and she has also had to receive harsh criticism from Russia. But she certainly won’t budge.
– I stand one hundred percent by what I said in that matter. I don’t think any Russians should be allowed to come back to the sports arena. I will stand for that all the way out, says Svahn to SportExpressen.
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Stepanova was very clear that she does not want politics and sports not to influence each other. But Svahn really doesn’t agree.
– A war is bigger than our sport. And although sport may be my whole world, it is not everyone else’s world, she says in the interview and continues:
– Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But I still find it very disturbing to actively support a brutal regime waging war against another country.
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Linn Svahn then sends a clear pass back to competitor Veronika Stepanova.
– I often think that when you say you know a lot more than others, you actually know a lot less. The more confident you are, the less you actually know.
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