State Duma deputy and Olympic champion Svetlana Zhurova was outraged by the blog entry made by journalist Viktor Shenderovich on the website of Echo of Moscow radio station. He compared the Olympics in Sochi with sports competitions in Berlin in 1936.
Shenderovich, in particular, referred to the winner of the shot put competition in Hitler's Germany, Hans Welke. "Something, however, stops us today from celebrating his victory. We probably know the final price of the sports feat - the price, which included Dachau, and Coventry, Khatyn and Leningrad ...It was not Hans's fault, of course, but it just so happened that he contributed to it," Shenderovich wrote, on the site of Echo of Moscow as a "journalist."
"Shenderovich's blog fits into the campaign against the Olympics, which was launched in the Western media. He hurt a lot of people and should apologize," athlete Svetlana Zhurova told ITAR-TASS.
Zhurova, an Olympic champion, finds it frustrating that some want to "steal the holiday" from Russia.
"I am shocked that he wrote that one should be a total idiot to hope for complete harmony while watching the opening ceremony. I received so many messages from people, my friends, very successful people - they wrote that they were crying and were so proud. Does it mean that they are idiots in tears, emotional idiots? Does it mean that one shouldn't do sports, ballet, one should not glorify our homeland, our Russia, because, someone named Shenderovich believes that it all works for the rating of one president. I am amazed at this position," the Olympic champion said.
Zhurova added that she could see in Sochi that many Western journalists deliberately do not interview the athletes, who admire and speak positively about the Olympics.
"Journalists say this directly to athletes that they were told by editors to write negative things about the Olympics and Russia. What kind of craziness is happening in the world?" Zhurova exclaimed.
She pointed out that "one can not personalize the Olympics." "This is a global sporting event, Russia had the honor to host it, and we can not but be proud of it. It's not true that most people do not support the Olympics, this is not like that!" Svetlana Zhurova said.
Earlier, the leader of United Russia faction in the State Duma, Vladimir Vasilyev, called upon the Echo of Moscow station to apologize for "fascist" remarks from Viktor Shenderovich about the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
This position, the MP said, when, the Olympics in Sochi and the victory of the Russian Federation are compared with events in Nazi Germany, "is puzzling."
"We already have a campaign that appeals to public opinion, we have the situation with Dozhd TV channel, now this radio station says the things, for which, I believe, they will have to apologize," said Vasilyev.
According to the leader of United Russia in the Duma, "the society does not forgive insults to veterans and those who can not stand up for themselves."
Pravda.Ru