When Vladimir Putin honored selected Russian Olympic champions in the Moscow Kremlin, cross-country skiing star Veronika Stepanova made headlines with her speech. Then it rained criticism.
Russia, Stepanova said in the Kremlin on Tuesday in the presence of Vladimir Putin, is “on the right track” and will “definitely win, just like we won at the Olympic Games.” The 21-year-old did not explicitly mention the war in Ukraine, but her reference was obvious. Her Norwegian opponent Lotta Udnes Weng then found clear words for this performance.
“It’s a bit shocking,” Weng told the Verdens Gang newspaper, referring to Stepanova’s statements. The Russian’s views are “quite far from what we see. It’s hard to believe she’s making up her own mind,” Weng said.
In the eyes of the Norwegian, the Russian government’s propaganda has not failed to have an effect on Stepanova: “She gets a different picture of the situation than we do. She probably doesn’t see what we see,” said Weng.
When asked if she would like to compete against athletes who make such statements in the future, the Norwegian explained: “I haven’t thought about it yet. I always think that sport and politics should be separated. But in Russia and other countries there is a smooth transition.”
Of course, she would prefer it if Russian athletes distanced themselves from the actions of their own government: “But you also have to see it from their perspective. The people who showed courage didn’t have it so easy afterwards.”
Former Ukrainian tennis pro Aleksandr Dolgopolov was not so understanding. He posted a video of Stepanova’s speech on Twitter and wrote: “They say Russian sport has nothing to do with politics. They say they are all innocent. Yes, of course.”