The president of the suspended Russian Olympic Committee said Tuesday he plans to step down after six years in charge. (More Sports News)
Stanislav Pozdnyakov's statement comes just over two months after a delegation of 15 Russians competed at the Paris Olympics as “Individual Neutral Athletes” without the national flag or anthem as a result of the Russ🌱ian invasiꩵon of Ukraine.
The athletes did not represen🌄t the ROC, whose IOC recognition was suspended last year, and Pozdnyakov had been sharply critical of the ne🥀utral rules.
Pozdnyakov said 🎶in a statement on the ROC website that a board meeting next month was expecte𒁃d to set a date to elect his replacement, who would likely take office shortly before the IOC too elects a new leader.
“The geopolitical challenges that our country faces dictate the need for optimization and centralization of the management of key areas of activity, including elite-▨level sports,” Pozdnyakov said𒆙.
He added that “the role of the state nowadays is important as never before” in supporting athletes and sports events.
Pozdnyakov is a former ༒Olympic fencing gold medalist who holds the rank of col🤪onel in the Russian military.
Russian athletes have not competed under the country's national flag at any of the three Olympic Games during Pozdnyakov's six-year tenure as pr🍸esident o📖f the ROC. ;
For the pandemic-delayed Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 and the Winter Olympic♐s in Beijing the following year, Russians competed under the Russian Olympic Committee's name and flag as part of the fallout from long-running disputes over doping cases.
