The suspended president of the Russian Olympic Committee announced Tuesday his intention to resign after six years at the head of the organization.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov’s statement comes just over two months after a delegation of 15 Russians participated in the Paris Olympic Games as “individual neutral athletes” without a flag or national anthem following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The athletes did not represent the ROC, whose IOC recognition was suspended last year, and Pozdnyakov had been strongly critical neutral rules.
Pozdnyakov said in a statement on the ROC website that a board meeting next month is expected to set a date to elect his replacement, who will likely take office shortly before then. the IOC also elects a new leader.
“The geopolitical challenges facing our country dictate the need to optimize and centralize the management of key areas of activity, including elite sport,” Pozdniakov said. He added that “the role of the state is today more important than ever” in supporting athletes and sporting events.
Pozdnyakov is a former Olympic fencing gold medalist who holds the rank of colonel in the Russian Army.
Russian athletes did not compete under the national flag at any of the three Olympic Games during Pozdnyakov’s six-year tenure as President of the Republic of China.
For the pandemic-delayed 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the following year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, Russians competed under the name and flag of the Russian Olympic Committee, as part of the fallout from the pandemic. long-standing disputes over doping cases.
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