Former Algerian Olympic champion Hassiba Boulmerka called for an end to restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions, stressing that their absence negatively affects the level of competition.
In statements to Russia Today, Boulmerka said that athletes are "the heart of the sporting event," arguing that excluding them deprives competitions of the parity that the Olympic movement calls for.
She added that a growing number of international sports federations have begun allowing Russian athletes to return to competition, expressing her hope that the rest of the federations will follow suit and that the restrictions imposed on them will be lifted as soon as possible.
Boulmerka praised the status of Russian sport, describing it as a "great and prestigious school," stressing that the return of Russian athletes would raise the level of competition and add more excitement to international championships.
She also criticized what she described as double standards in dealing with some sports issues, considering that politics had interfered unfairly in sports affairs, and called for a separation between the two fields, stressing that sports should remain a space for competition between athletes away from political considerations.
The former Algerian champion concluded her remarks by stressing that sports should be left to the athletes, describing it as "life," and calling for the preservation of its values based on competition and respect.
Boulmerka won Algeria’s first Olympic gold medal when she won the 1500m race at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. She also won the World Championship title twice, in 1991 in Stuttgart, Germany and in 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden, in addition to four African Championship titles and three gold medals at the Mediterranean Games.
