‘No one is against us’ in Olympic village, Russian neutral athlete says

PARIS :A Russian competing in trampoline gymnastics said on Friday that Russians and Belarusians competing like her as neutral athletes had not faced any disparaging comments from other athletes so far during the Paris Olympics.
Teams from Russia and Belarus have been banned from taking part in the Games over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with Belarus having been used as a staging ground.
Only certain athletes have been authorised by the International Olympic Committee to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes after undergoing a screening process designed to root out anyone who has publicly supported the war or military.
“No one in the Olympic village has been against us, no one has said anything bad. Everyone was glad we still came even though there are only 15 of us (neutral Russian athletes),” Anzhela Bladtceva said.
“If I get upset, we still won’t be getting our flag anyways,” added the St. Petersburg native who was in tears after finishing fifth in the women’s trampoline final. 
Ukraine has called for a blanket ban against Russia, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy deploring that the eligibility criteria for Russians and Belarusians amounted to “semi-sanctions”. Russia has denounced the IOC measure as politically motivated.
Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya, a Belarusian competing as an individual neutral athlete, became the first neutral athlete of the Paris Games to win a medal with her silver-medal finish in trampoline.     
“I had very mixed feelings because it was unclear what chances I would have to compete at the Games,” the 19-year-old said. 
Asked how she felt about the presence of Belarusians at the Paris Olympics without their national colours, Bardzilouskaya said having her coaches nearby sufficed. 
“Overall it’s enough for me to have just them,” she said.