Russian sports minister lauds national Olympians’ results in Tokyo as success

MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/. The team of Russian national athletes at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games displayed a successful performance and showed outstanding results in many sports competitions, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said on Monday. "I want to thank the Russian Olympic squad for their successful performance," Matytsin told journalists. "We had to go through a very uneasy period of preparations and showed that we can prepare well and overcome all difficulties. This work was waged under very uneasy conditions." "Some outstanding results were achieved in many [Olympic] sports competitions; we have won a total number of 71 medals, including 20 gold medals, exceeding the number of medals won [at the 2016 Summer Olympics] in Rio de Janeiro," the Russian sports minister said. "Most importantly, we showed everyone that we have the potential." "We see perspectives for the future work and we will conduct a thorough analysis in regard to all sports competitions [at 2020 Olympics in Tokyo]," Matytsin continued. "The next stage of our preparations has been reduced as we have now three years to go before Paris." The next Summer Olympic Games will be hosted by the French capital, Paris, in 2024. "We will be required to resort to extra measures, but as of today we can confidently state that we are proud of our victories, the spirit of unity, a responsible approach; and hope that the positive dynamics will remain." The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Japan’s capital of Tokyo was held this year between July 23 and August 8. In March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan for one year due to the spread of COVID-19. The team of Russian athletes finished fifth in the overall medal standings, with 71 Olympic medals, including 20 gold, 28 silver, and 23 bronze ones. Russia at Tokyo-2020 On July 6, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) published an approved list of 335 athletes, who were selected to represent the country at the Summer Olympic Games. The Olympic delegation of Russian athletes in Tokyo included 185 female and 150 male athletes. Russian athletes competed in Tokyo under the flag and logo of the Russian National Olympic Committee (ROC) instead of the Russian national flag and state emblem. The national anthem of Russia was also under sanctions at the Olympics in Japan and ROC athletes received gold medals at award ceremonies to the tune of the First Piano Concerto by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Sanctions against Russian sports On December 17, 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland’s Lausanne partially upheld WADA’s (the World Anti-Doping Agency) previous ruling on a number of sanctions against Russian sports. Following the CAS decision, Russian athletes were deprived of their right to participate in all World Championships, Olympic and Paralympic Games under the national flag of Russia for a two-year period. The ruling of the Swiss-based court also stripped Russia of the right to bid for the organization of all international sports tournaments for a period of two years. WADA’s sanctions will be in force until December 2022. Read more