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Business Honor
18 October, 2024
Pozdnyakov resigns as ROC president as Russian athletes navigate challenges of neutral status
The president of the suspended Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, said Tuesday he will resign after six years at the helm, while 15 Russian athletes competed in the Olympics as "Individual Neutral Athletes" in Paris last month. These athletes did not represent the ROC, whose recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been suspended since last year. Pozdnyakov has repeatedly criticized the neutral status imposed on Russian competitors.
He said on the website of ROC that the date of electing his successor will be determined by the board of directors meeting next month and is expected to start working when the new president of the IOC will be elected. He stressed the importance of centralization and optimization of the management of key areas of elite sports while referring to the current geopolitical hardships encountered by Russia. He showed that the mission of the state in providing its support to the athlete and the sports events is much more important at the present moment than at any earlier time.
Pozdnyakov, who was on the Russian national team and an Olympic gold medal fencer in his playing career, is quoted as saying in a media interview that no Russian athlete has competed under the national flag during his term. During the Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympics and the just concluded 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, they would compete under the name of the ROC and the ROC flag due to disputes over doping.