Olympic Champion Tikhonov: I Do Not Want To Return From Belarus To Russia

Russia must be kicked out of the world biathlon, the athlete believes.

Four-time Olympic champion in biathlon Alexander Tikhonov said that he no longer wants to live in Russia.

"I do not want to be in Russia anymore, that's why I live in Belarus, so far, so good. The further from the Russian gossips, the better," – Tikhonov told Sport24.

Later in an interview to Sovetsky Sport Tikhonov said that it was high time to bar Russia from international competitions.

"I believe that we should have been kicked off from the world biathlon long ago," – Tikhonov said. He added that he had repeatedly tried to influence the situation, but had not been heard by the current leadership of the Russian Biathlon Union.

Tikhonov also rejected the theory that what is happening has a political context: "When people talk about a political order, it's nonsense. Many years ago, speaking before the Olympic meeting, I said: "The day will come when we will disgrace ourselves loud and clear." This day is now," – the expert concluded.