Social media hypothesis claimed Denis Spitsov had declined a gathering with the president
Main figures in Russian cross-country snowboarding have denied social media claims that Beijing 2022 gold medalist Denis Spitsov was planning to snub President Vladimir Putin.
A message circulating on Telegram alleged that Spitsov, who helped the Russian group win the four x 10km relay on the Beijing Winter Olympics and bagged a silver within the 30km skiathlon, wouldn’t attend a standard assembly between Putin and his nation’s Olympians.
However the president of the Russian Ski Affiliation, Elena Vyalbe, refuted the rumors in feedback to Metaratings.
“This individual wrote [this] on his Telegram channel, and lots of reposted [it]. You have to name the writer and ask the place he received all this from, [and] from what supply,” Vyalbe pressured.
“However there is no such thing as a writer there, there’s a Telegram channel to which everybody refers. This info is, in fact, incorrect.
“Denis, like many athletes, is now in quarantine and is making ready for the award ceremony which will likely be held on the 24th [of April], and I don’t perceive why unknown persons are writing one thing there, additionally in citation marks. I ponder the place they received this info from,” Vyalbe contemplated.
To RIA Novosti, Russian nationwide cross-country snowboarding group head coach Yury Borodavko additionally confirmed that Spitsov, 25, was in quarantine forward of the assembly and steered that whoever “wrote this about Denis” must be “disadvantaged of accreditations and all the things else.”
“Additionally they must apologize, as a result of the knowledge is totally unverified.
“I repeat, that you must apologize to the athlete for this. As for the assembly with the president, all the things is okay, Denis is making ready for it, all the things is because it was,” Borodavko completed.
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Russian cross-country skiers set new Olympic report
Russian cross-country skiers loved nice success at Beijing 2022 with a report 9 medals, which was the best of any Russian group in Olympic Video games historical past.
Because the four x 10km males’s group scooped prime honors, Spitsov’s colleague within the self-discipline Alexander Bolshunov received two extra golds within the 30km skiathlon, the place Spitsov claimed silver, and the 50km mass begin.
Russia’s cross-country snowboarding success helped the ROC to complete ninth within the Beijing medal desk however second solely to Norway (37) when it comes to total medals on 32.
President Putin has so far been unable to personally congratulate the celebs of the competitors in addition to Russia’s Paralympians, who have been barred from the Beijing Winter Paralympics as a result of battle in Ukraine.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that Putin had not forgotten in regards to the particular ceremony which historically sees him fete his nation’s athletes.
“Let’s not get forward of ourselves, we’ll inform you in the end [about a meeting],” Peskov instructed reporters.
“I can solely say that this assembly has not taken place to this point, however this doesn’t imply that the president has forgotten, he will certainly maintain such a gathering.”
Whereas the Winter Olympics completed on February 20, Russia’s army offensive in Ukraine started 4 days later.
Russian snowboarding officers steered in March that the ceremony is likely to be held on April 6, however that date handed with none official information.
As Vyalbe famous, it now seems that the assembly will go forward on April 24.
