Video interview with Ablyazin, Starkin, Alfosov - translation

Exclusive interview with the first Russian athletes to arrive in Rio

Translation by Liubov Baladzhaeva

Athletes are escorted throughout the airport so that they can get to the Olympic village without delays. There are a lot of soldiers with assault rifles for security reasons.

The first training for the gymnasts starts at 9:00, they usually take a bus to the gym although it�s walking distance from their accommodation. Journalists are not allowed into the Olympic village.

Aliya talks about their rooms and the village: they didn�t really have time to walk around, because they train twice a day and have to rest in between. The rooms are on the smaller side, but cozy. She�s happy with the living conditions, no complaints.

Denis Ablyazin will turn 24 in Rio. He�s one of the Russian MAG hopes for a gold medal, which they didn�t have since 2000.  Asked about who are his main competitors, he says that he sees every single gymnast in Rio as a competitor. Other than that they just take everything one training at a time and try not to think about the competition yet.  The Russian team shares the gym with the Japanese for the first hour of training, the reporter says that the Japanese are watching Ablyazin on vault.

Starkin says that for the MAG team the main competitors are US, Japan and China [weirdly, doesn�t mention GB) and the competition in MAG is extremely hard. It�s hard to get any kind of medal, not even talking about gold, but they are aiming high with Denis.

Alfosov says that EFs in MAG are going to be very interesting, because it�s a clash between European and Asian kinds of gymnastics 

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Russian gymnastics and the Olympics - success through adversity - and some recommended reading

It is interesting, in my opinion, to read this article (link below) and to understand how the Russian doping scandal is understood by Russian citizens and athletes.  It shows that 'another' perspective on President Putin and on the blanket ban of track and field is shared by a lot of people.  

It is also true that Russia's whole strategy of sports development and of using mega events to develop the visitor economy has been cast into doubt by the IOC response to the cheating that has evidently been going on.  The brouhaha surrounding the blanket ban, its pros and cons in different sports and all the rights and wrongs have masked the fact that for the first time the IOC has imposed the equivalent of economic sanctions on Russia by removing so many sporting events due to be staged there.  Sport has imposed itself right in the middle of world politics.  I hope that the end result is greater peace in the world.  

I hope that the Russian Govt's pledge to renew the testing regime is followed through in a positive way, and that the work involved can be a true collaboration within the international Olympic community.  To me this is the second step in Russia's rehab into the international sports community.  The first is to admit wrongdoing, which may be more difficult while licking the wounds of such an enormous sanction.   I would like to see Russia back safely in the Olympic fold, where they belong.

I've always thought that gymnastics is the most Olympic of sports.  The friendships that manifest themselves between athletes, coaches, officials and fans are always there through thick and thin.  It is remarkable when you consider the wider political history and some of the controversies.  The nature of gymnastics as a sport where you challenge yourself more than others is part of this.  A gymnast can only compete to the level prepared.  I love it when the gymnasts share the joy of accomplishment regardless of whether the gymnast won a medal.  They really support each other and to me this is one of the really important things about the Olympics - we are all fundamentally equal, and we all deserve respect for our efforts.  Gymnastics embodies this at least as much as any sport.  It is Olympism made real.  

I really hope that this Olympic spirit is shared with the audiences in Brazil.  Our gymnastics teams have a big job - not just to do their best gymnastics, but also to win over the crowd and reassure the world of their inimitable Russian charm and charisma.  I have every confidence that they will succeed, and regardless of the medal count I think this will be a vintage Olympics for the Russians.  Success through adversity!

Link to article - http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/28/russian-athletes-defiance-rio-ban-alternative-olympics?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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Russian artistic gymnasts - all clean, cleared to compete in Rio! Breaking news - injury alert

BBC radio just announced that Russian artistic gymnastics team has been officially cleared to compete in Rio!  #cleanrussianathletes #IOC #WADA

Later - breaking news

Valentina Rodionenko alert ...

1. Maria Paseka's back injury is troubling - her participation will only be decided after a doctor's check up on 3 August

2. Angelina Melnikova has injured her hamstring and will be competing watered down routines

3. Extra care had to be taken in proving Natalia Kapitonova's doping record for the Games.  The young gymnast hasn't competed much abroad, so it took time to gather the necessary evidence.

http://tass.ru/sport/3489095

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Natalia Kapitonova - personal travelogue to Rio

Natalia, seen left here in this personal picture with team mates Angelina Melnikova and Maria Paseka, is a relative newcomer to the senior national team, but not its youngest member - having turned 16 in May (Angelina only celebrated her 16th birthday a few days ago).  She is Russian Cup champion on the uneven bars - and strong enough in the all around to provide a good back up, as first reserve, if back up is needed.

The famous gym club in Penza - home to 2014 World floor champion Denis Ablyazin - is where Natalia has trained since childhood under the direction of the Starkin family - who also direct the training of Russian team captain, Aliya Mustafina.  Despite her relative lack of experience internationally, Natalia has shown herself to be a steady and optimistic team mate.  

The flight to Brazil - over 12 hours - was the longest of her life.  At first she slept, but she also read, watched movies and listened to music.  She says that the team weren't too worried about whether they would be allowed to compete; they felt reasonably confident about the IOC decision.

'I can hardly believe that I am in Rio!' said Natalia to local newspaper Penza Sight.  Everything has happened very quickly.

Natalia is sharing a room with Evgenia Shelgunova, and the two reserves are housed in a separate accommodation bloc to the main team.  They haven't had a chance yet to see much of Rio - just the gym, the supermarket and their hotel.  The main thing now is to stay in good form for the Games - no time for much rest.

Source - http://penzavzglyad.ru/news/11419/natalya-kapitonova-do-sih-kazhetsya-chto-ya-ne-v-rio-de-zhaneyro

Please visit RRG's Facebook page for more pictures of the team in Rio, and follow my Twitter feed (RussianGymnast) for quick updates.  With thanks to the Gymnastics group page on vk.com.

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Russian team departs for Rio - video

 

Television channel Russia 1 covered the departure of the Russian team from Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow, yesterday.  The Russians are now safely arrived in Rio, [the pictures are of their arrival, from the Asahi TV channel website] and installed in the Olympic village - even if conditions aren't as good as they might be.  Valentina Rodionenko has had a few words to say about that, and I'll be covering them later on but in the meantime enjoy this video - and there is a brief summary of the main points in English below. 

Even though they didn't know whether or not they will be allowed to compete, the Russian athletes have continued training for the Olympics.  The first representatives of the national team are on their way to Brazil.  The sport is gymnastics, and they took off from Sheremetyevo this morning. 

There is a fighting spirit, and a will to win.  Behind the scenes, they are working to their limits, overcoming injuries - and two months ago they showed they are the best in Europe.  Now they are flying to Rio, to have a say in whether they can be considered to be amongst the best in the World.

"We are in a fighting mood," - says Daria Spiridonova.

The main team is made up of ten people - five boys, five girls.  Then there are four travelling reserves.  To earn a place on the team took blood and sweat.  At the last minute silver medallist at the London Olympic Games, Ksenia Afanasyeva, had to retire with an ankle injury.  She was one of the best in the world on the floor exercise.  Maria Paseka, world champion on the vault, had to take a break from training with injury, but managed to confirm her title as Queen of the apparatus three weeks ago at the Russian Championships.  There, in the all around, the confident 15 year old Angelina Melnikova won - the Olympic Games will be just the fourth senior competition of her career.  

"There is a fighting spirit and I very much want to compete.  The most difficult thing is to manage the nerves and excitement. Everything is going well!", said Angelina Melnikova.

Aliya Mustafina, captain of the women's team and winner at the last Olympic Games of a gold medal on the bars, had to take a long break from the all around with a knee injury.  Doctors would not allow her to compete on vault.  In order to recover, she has had to show complete commitment - in the past few months, you could almost say that she was living in the gym.

"Now everything is all right, I have recovered. All we have to do now is to go to practice and get used to the apparatus"- says Aliya Mustafina.

The male half of the team has shown consistently good results, according to the coach, and is now on top form.  Nikolai Kuksenkov, team captain, looks focused and confident. At the Russian Championships, he confirmed his position as the best gymnast.  At one time, he was almost barred from participating in the games due to a positive doping test for meldonium.   But then the news came at the last minute, the case against him has been dismissed.

"I've been training with the team and I think everything is going well, so I hope for the best results. You shouldn't think about medals and the marks as being the main thing - you should just do your job, that's all, and leave the rest to the judges to decide ", - said Nikolia Kuksenkov.

The gymnastics competition, where 14 medals will be awarded, will be held from 6 to 16 August. The head coach of our team, Andrei Rodionenko, has every confidence in the team.  He jokes that the most difficult thing is the long flight.

"All being well, we'll catch a transfer flight from Amsterdam and then it will be another twelve hours before our arrival in Rio.   The gymnasts just need to do what they can do," said Andrei.

The team's arrival has been planned to give them time to rest and get back into shape and used to the new apparatus.  Russia's fencing teamwill fly out a few hours later.  It's still not known whether the athletes will suffer the same fate as the athletics team.  Later today, the IOC will announce its decision and then we will know whether Russian athletes will be able to compete for Olympic medals. 

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The IOC decision - (just) my reflections and opinion ...

Some people aren't really thinking clearly about the IOC decision to delegate decision making to the governing bodies.  Some track and field athletes in particular have made outspoken statements against the Russians and the IOC supporting a blanket ban and saying that the IOC has fudged matters.  I can  understand why people who have been disadvantaged by doping cheats in the past may react this way, but they aren't being wholly fair and seeing the complete picture.  This is not a single factor argument, it involves a complex judgement and there is no unique answer.  The IOC had to deliver justice, not revenge, and they were put in an impossible situation by WADA, who bungled their investigations and left things too late.  Yes, Russia should pay, and the national sanctions imposed are strong and clearly targeted.  But how to deliver quality justice to all the individual athletes, clean and otherwise?  This should have been WADA's focus.

There are enormous problems with the idea of a blanket ban.  In what other context of justice would you presume guilt rather than innocence?  Expect innocent individuals to take the same punishment as those who are deliberately culpable?  Even war criminals are given a fair trial - and they stand in the dock as individuals.  

WADA has taken too little time to gather and analyse the Rodchenkov evidence, and to judge the outcome.  The quality of the evidence is questionable - anecdotal, over reliant on one source, a lack of triangulating evidence from multiple sources.  A lack of criticality in interrogating Rodchenkov's claims.  WADA needed to understand the limitations of their data, to verify their findings and to define the scope of their work more clearly.  They also needed to take a more thorough approach to accessing and analysing the data in the hands of the sports' governing bodies.  Some of the report was sloppily completed - for example the use of the term 'all sports' when there are ten of the Olympic sports that are not even mentioned.

Track and field athletics has huge problems - and not just in Russia.  There are approximately 320 athletes currently serving sanctions for drug abuse, from many different countries.  Of course the IAAF was forced to take drastic action - their sport is, sadly, corrupt.  However, I would add the caveat, have other countries been subjected to the same scrutiny as Russia?  There has been a witch hunt against Russia.  Is the quality of justice truly equal across all countries?  Blanket justice has only weakened the IOC, IAAF and WADA - because there is no longer a level playing field between Russian athletes and the rest of the world.  WADA can only do its job on the level of the individual athlete.

Is it possible, given the limitations of the evidence, to make judgements across all sports disciplines that are fair to the individuals involved?  And - there's the rub - if the investigation's conclusions are correct, and the Russian doping labs are all corrupt, how can Russia prove the innocence of its clean athletes?  This is the strongest card the advocates of a full ban have to play.  But, fortunately for the ten sports that are not mentioned in the McLaren report, there are other sources of data besides those nationally collected.  This is why the IOC has had to turn to the sports' governing bodies - only they can answer the question of whether an individual athlete is clean or not, by scrutiny of their internationally collected doping records.

What most sources are failing to point out is that this situation questions the competence of WADA.  Isn't it their job to draw judgements on individual athlete cases?  Isn't collecting data on the athletes, and monitoring standards of scrutiny around the world, what they should have been doing all along?  Why has it taken them until now, precisely the most disruptive moment they could have chosen, to investigate and publish their findings?  Does the report comment on lessons learned, and identify best practice that can be adopted in other cases?  Why did they have to wait for a whistleblower to come forward before they questioned the Russian system?  And what implications does this have for the standard of their work in other territories?

In the end, WADA messed this up, and may well have let cheating athletes off the hook.  They left the playing field way too open, and asked the IOC to do too much in too short a period of time.  All that the IOC could fairly and practically do with such short notice was to fudge and to delegate the decision to the governing bodies, who are the ones with the evidence that WADA should have been interrogating and analysing all along.  Russia must bear responsibility for its corrupt and ineffective anti-doping standards, but the buck should stop with WADA and clean athletes should not have to suffer.

There must be further work done before the next Olympics to improve the quality of data collected by WADA, the process, principles and ethics of their systems and the fairness and effectiveness of their work.  Russia must also take responsibility and clean up its act totally.  The rest of the world should also stand up and assist WADA and the IOC.

Just my opinion.

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FIG statement about participation of Russia's gymnasts in the Olympic Games

Find the original -  http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1104002974775&ca=df37f23d-2358-4c45-b6f7-d22d02cf6106

The statement will include details of rhythmic as well as artistic gymnasts.

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No blanket ban on Russia at Rio Olympics

Blanket ban has been rejected.  Decision on individual participation to be taken by sports' governing bodies, in gymnastics' case the FIG.  No one with a prior record of doping, even if they have served their sanction, can compete.

So this looks positive for the Russian gymnasts.  I am going to take some time to digest the IOC statement and see what the FIG do, then I will post a little more.  I have a lot to say about the often simplistic and inappropriate way sections of the media have handled this.  

Russian team have been seen on BBC News channel, from much earlier this morning, at Sheremetyova.    They are currently in the air and will land in Rio at something like 11pm BST (estimated).  Valentina Rodionenko has been quoted on BBC TV! and the Russian gymnasts have been shown in training by Russia Today news.

IOC statement - https://www.olympic.org/news/decision-of-the-ioc-executive-board-concerning-the-participation-of-russian-athletes-in-the-olympic-games-rio-2016

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Timetable for IOC decision about Russia's participation in the Olympic Games

The Guardian sets out the timetable for the IOC decision and summarises the different viewpoints

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/23/russia-olympic-judgment-rio-2016-doping?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_b-gdnnews

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