Russia called a sporting activities preacher approved by the West as its brand-new Olympics principal on Friday, as Moscow deals with seclusion from global sporting activity over its Ukraine offensive.
Mikhail Degtyaryov, a participant of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, was chosen head of the Russian Olympic Committee unopposed after previous head of state Stanislav Pozdnyakov all of a sudden surrendered in October, the board stated.
Russian sporting activity has actually dealt with a myriad of dilemmas over the last few years, with a state-sponsored doping rumor seeing the nation removed of lots of Olympic medals and its professional athletes outlawed from participating in the Paris Games this summer season over the Ukraine dispute.
Moscow increased its unsupported claims versus the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in advance of the Games, charging the showing off body of “neo-Nazism” and swearing to hold its very own “Friendship Games” to measure up to those kept in the French funding.
Those strategies were delayed numerous times up until Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced previously this month they would certainly be shelved forever.
Just 15 Russian professional athletes were allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics this summer season, contending as neutrals.
“Today, Russian sport is facing unprecedented external pressure. Thousands of our athletes are being discriminated against,” Degtyaryov was estimated by the board as claiming in a speech in advance of his political election.
“It is time for us to stop the aggressive rhetoric against our international colleagues.
“Many of them, consisting of participants of the IOC, have actually know that worldwide sporting activity without Russia does not function. During many informal calls, they clearly state that they desire Russia to go back to the global Olympic activity.”
– Putin’s ‘favourite’ –
Described as a favourite of Putin by the team of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Degtyaryov has been a vehement supporter of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.
The 43-year-old was appointed sports minister by Putin in May 2024, despite not being a member of the ruling United Russia party.
In 2014, he was sanctioned by the European Union over his support for separatist rebels in east Ukraine, and in 2023 was blacklisted by the United States for helping conscript Russian citizens to fight Kyiv.
From 2020 until this year Degtyaryov served as governor of the Far Eastern Khabarovsk region, where he was tapped by Putin to replace popular governor Sergei Furgal after his controversial removal.
In 2022, he said he would gladly volunteer to fight in Ukraine but was unable to because he was a serving governor.
Residents of the region responded by creating a petition proposing to remove him from the post, clocking up tens of thousands of signatures.
Degtyaryov served as a lawmaker in the State Duma from 2011 to 2020, floating a number of outlandish proposals including changing the colours of the Russian flag to the former imperial black, yellow and white.
In 2013, he ran for Moscow Mayor, suggesting in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper that he would allow gay pride parades provided they were held ” silently” and ” in the evening”.
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