The suspended president of the Russian Olympic Committee said on Tuesday that he plans to step down after six years at the helm.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov’s statement comes just two months after a team of 15 Russians competed at the Paris Olympics as “Individual Athletes” without a national flag or anthem because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The athletes did not represent the ROC, whose recognition of the International Olympic Committee was suspended last year, and Pozdnyakov was very critical of neutral rules.
Pozdnyakov said in a statement on the ROC website that a board meeting next month is expected to set a date for appointing his successor, who is likely to take over before the IOC also elects a new leader.
“The geopolitical challenges facing our country point to the need for efficiency and centralization of the management of important areas of activity, including high-level sports,” said Pozdnyakov. He added that “the role of the state these days is more important than ever” in supporting athletes and sporting events.
Pozdnyakov is a former Olympic fencing gold medalist and holds the rank of colonel in the Russian army.
Russian athletes never competed under the country’s flag in any of the three Olympic Games during Pozdnyakov’s six-year ROC presidency.
At the pandemic-delayed Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 and the Winter Olympics in Beijing the following year, Russians competed under the ROC name and flag as part of a long-running doping scandal.
Source link