The 2006 Olympic champion in speed skating, State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova commented on the proposals of the national Olympic committees of Sri Lanka and Panama to lift sanctions from Russian athletes. Recall that earlier the IOC recommended that international federations remove Russian athletes from international competitions.
“I believe that even such single voices of support are very important, because silence suggests that everyone is unanimous in their attitude towards Russia. And this is far from true. Behind the scenes, many express words of support, but when it comes to public space, they are afraid to speak.
No one wants to be pressured or bullied online. It is easy to see that whoever speaks out in defense of Russian athletes, he immediately faces severe pressure. Therefore, people prefer to remain silent, because this situation does not concern them directly, ”RT in Russian quotes Zhurova.