Moscow – It was dubbed the ‘Moscow Olympics’, but for the dozens of shunned Russian athletes, the ‘Games’ in their own backyard will do little to banish the feeling of injustice.
With the world’s attention turning to Brazil for the 2016 Olympics, Russia’s banned track and field athletes were confined to an ageing stadium, competing more for symbolism than for glory.
53 of the 67 Russian track and field athletes banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) over evidence of state-sponsored doping were part in the event in Moscow, called ‘Stars 2016′, and on the tournament’s opening day on Thursday they called for perseverance and defiance of international athletics authorities.
“We needed to make a statement,” discus thrower Yekaterina Strokova told reporters of the consolation meet, which garnered an audience of some 150 people, mostly athletes’ friends and relatives.
“We needed to show good results, to show that we would have looked good on the international level. They (competitors in Rio) would probably have been afraid of us.”
Russia’s athletics federation, initially suspended in November over a bombshell report alleging state-sponsored doping and corruption in the sport, presented the meet as consolation for athletes missing out on the Games.
Earlier in the day, dozens of Russian competitors in other sports flew off to Brazil after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) resisted a blanket ban against the country.