Russian national team refused to participate in the boxing championship in Croatia without a flag

The Russian team refused to participate in the European championship in Croatian Porec. This was reported by the press service of the Russian Boxing Federation.

The decision was made in connection with the position of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Croatia regarding the performance of the Russian national team without the flag and anthem of the country, as well as the non-issuance of visas to members of the Russian delegation.

We have repeatedly stated our firm position: without the flag and the anthem of Russia, no participation in international competitions. It is a pity that, for Croatian officials, politics is more important than sport. It is doubly regrettable that juniors who are just beginning their way in sports suffered from this short-sighted decision, said Alexander Besputin, Secretary General of the Russian Boxing Federation.

According to Besputin, officials “punished Croatian fans, depriving them of the opportunity to see the rising stars of world boxing live.”.

Besputin also thanked the leadership of World Boxing and European Boxing for their constructive position. “We are in constant dialogue, we meet the understanding of our position. Our cooperation allows us to hope that in the future such situations as with the primacy of Europe will be excluded.

Since July, World Boxing has allowed Russian boxers to participate in its flag tournaments. Restrictions on performances in international competitions were introduced after the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine.

The European Championship will be held from 15 to 24 November. It will be attended by boxers aged 19 to 22 years.