"I would like to send them to hell": tomorrow they will elect a new head of the IOC — is it really Kou?

Two-time Olympic hockey champion, State Duma deputy Vyacheslav Fetisov, said that Russia should send... a strong message to the future president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to return to the competition in full status.

The election of the new IOC president will be held tomorrow, March 20, as part of the 144th session of the organization in Greece.

"Justice has been trampled on for a long time. Of course, this will be a reproach for all international sports structures, first of all for the International Olympic Committee.

I have voiced my opinion more than once. I think that the new IOC president, who is being elected these days, should receive another reminder from us that we should return to the international arena with a flag, anthem and coat of arms.

I think that we can't play with them any other way, enough to play. Because they have been deceived, they are being deceived, and they will continue to deceive. They demand any additional apologies from the athletes, for some reason the teams are not allowed.

It seems to me that it is necessary to send a strong message so that they can no longer manipulate even all sorts of disagreements here, inside the country, about participation or non-participation. And then everything will be clear to international officials, it will be clear to all of us, " quotes the legendary hockey player "MK".

Meanwhile, four—time Olympic biathlon champion Alexander Tikhonov believes that it would be best for Russia if Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. becomes the new IOC president.:

"I'm for Samaranch Jr. I have visited my family in Barcelona and have excellent relations with them. There has never been a better IOC president in history than Marquis Samaranch. He was a handsome man. His son is very educated and interesting, it would be the best option for us. Everyone else — they are subject to politics. What they ordered, they do. There were empty statements, shots at sparrows."

And here's what Alexander Ivanovich thinks about the British candidate Sebastian Coe:

"It's a pity that we are not involved in anything. In those days, we helped Bach get elected, before that Samaranch. Is Sebastian Coe the favorite of the election? Kou is a complete bastard, he has long stated that he is against Russia. A rare bastard, however, like all Britons. It was not for nothing that it was said that "the ocean would gladly swallow this island, but it is afraid that it will vomit."

Indeed, the head of the International Athletics Federation (World Athletics), who in the past was a middle-distance runner and won gold at the Moscow Olympics-80, has earned himself a not very positive reputation in Russia, reminds Sport24.

After all, it is precisely because of the position of the 68-year-old Briton that our athletes have not competed at international competitions at all for many years, or in the most truncated composition. Coe did not let any of the athletes go to the Olympics in Paris, although he could have, because the federation (VFLA) has been banned since 2023.

"I have never doubted the correctness of this decision [to ban Russian athletes from competing]. We did not focus on public opinion or on what federations in other sports were going to do. I'm sorry, but I can't be neutral," Coe admitted to Inside the Games.

It seemed that with such a boss, the IOC of Russia would definitely not shine, but unexpectedly for everyone, Coe relented on the eve of the elections:

"It is not for me to develop peace treaties. In this case, you will have to treat it very carefully. Obviously, the world is an unpredictable and complex thing. All conflicts end at the negotiating table. If such a situation comes — and I hope it will — when will a peace agreement be reached that will satisfy both sides, if it is reached… It's much better when people perform in your sport, and not sit idly by."

As they say, we'll wait and see. But to believe a Brit is not to respect yourself. It seems that one of the greats said so…