Sergei Melikov, who leads the Caucasian sub-republic of Dagestan, has ordered the name of an athletics arena named after the pole vault star to be changed.
“Her recent statements, as an athlete, are a serious signal to us and the reason why the name of the stadium needs to be reconsidered,” writes Melikov in a message on Telegram, according to Russian media.
“Never linked to Dagestan”
The stadium is located in the capital of the republic, Makhachkala.
“Many of us remember how hastily, without taking into account the opinions of the townspeople, the athletics stadium was renamed in honor of Yelena Isinbayeva. She is a talented athlete who has won more than one world championship, but has never connected her life, past or future with Dagestan,” writes Melikov.
The criticism of the pole vaulting legend comes after Isinbayeva announced she plans to return to her post at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this fall.
“Until 2018, I competed for CSKA Moscow (the club of the Russian army) and was awarded many titles for my sporting merits. The titles being talked about have no meaning because I do not belong, and never have belonged, to the armed forces of the Russian Federation,” she wrote on Instagram in conjunction with the announcement.
Isinbayeva has also made headlines around Russia since Spanish Electric Digital Sur reported that she and her family have moved to Tenerife.
“Dagestan is a sports republic, we have many valuable athletes, true patriots of the motherland. Let a gym in Spain be named after Yelena Isinbayeva, because she thought it was better there than in Russia,” writes Melikov.