Ski star Aleksandr Bolshunov attended a support concert for the Russian attack – other Olympic medalists also present

There have been several events in Russia on Friday to support the country’s administration. They have celebrated the anniversary of Crimea’s annexation of Russia and the country’s offensive war against Ukraine.

I am a correspondent Erkka Mikkonen according to tens of thousands of people gathered for a concert at the Luzhniki Football Stadium in Moscow. The stadium played, among other things, the 2018 World Cup finals and the 2013 World Championships in Athletics.

The concert is an example According to Championat (you move to another service) there are several sports stars, the most famous cross-country skier in Finland Alexander Bolshunov. The 25-year-old Russian won three Olympic golds, silver and bronze at the Beijing Olympics.

According to media sources, Bolshunov missed a national 15-kilometer free-skiing race in Kirovo-Tshepetsk on Friday due to a concert.

According to Sport24 (you switch to another service) Figure skaters, among others, have also been present Yevgeny Tarasova and Vladimir Morozovwho won the Olympic silver medal in skating, well-known gymnast sisters Dina and Arina Averina as well as gold and ice dance silver in Beijing in the figure skating team competition Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov.

The Sport24 website reports that Russian Olympic athletes performed the Russian national anthem at the concert.

Watch the video below to see how the president spoke at the event Vladimir Putin the speech was interrupted in a television broadcast.

Bolshunov has not previously taken a direct stand on Russia’s military action in Ukraine, but he has criticized the exclusion of Russians from international sports. Among other things, Bolshunov has criticized the Norwegian ski star Johannes Hösflot Kläboawhich called on the International Ski Federation to exclude the Russians from the Games soon after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The Russian site Sportbox.ru has also accused Norway of blocking Russians from international skiing.

– Norway has succeeded in its efforts to the International Ski Federation. It will be interesting to see how Bolshunov and other Russian skiers react when they get back on the same track, Sportbox wrote, according to Dagbladet.

Earlier, Bolshunov commented that it is completely wrong to exclude Russians from sports, but it gives him additional motivation.

In March, Bolshunov also attracted attention by posting an image on Instagram in the Soviet ski suit under the theme CCCP 1980. Bolshunov received a lot of criticism on social media for the image he published and later removed it from Instagram.

Norwegian VG magazine (switch to another service) reported that after Russia ‘s attack, President Putin promoted Bolshunov as captain of the National Guard following the Olympic success. Putin has also appointed Bolshunov to Russia’s second highest honorary state.

For the most part, Russian athletes have remained relatively quiet about Russia’s hostilities in Ukraine. European Championship medalist in hammer throw Sergei Litvinov commented to Urheil earlier that the majority of Russians he knew oppose the war, but few dare to say it out loud.

– Why are there so few athletes who publicly support Ukraine or oppose the war? Not because they would not oppose all this, but because they are afraid. Many of them are part of the TsSKA, the FSB, ie they are part of the system. Many of them don’t know … We’ve been dreaded for years, Litvinov sighed.

The topic was also discussed earlier at ‘s Sports Studio. There are two extremes among Russian athletes: those who support the war and those who condemn it. The overwhelming majority has remained silent.

– Putin has succeeded extremely well in creating a situation in which signs of parity are drawn between Russian patriotism and support for Putin. This is the connection that should be disconnected. Because I don’t think Russian patriotism will necessarily go away. It should somehow get disconnected from Putin, the researcher said at the Sports Studio Markku Jokisipilä.