Alexei Vlasov. Exclusively to VK
The victory of Russian judo players at the London Olympic Games, unfortunately, arouses not only pride for success of our compatriots, but also comments of ill-wishers who cannot be happy with a quite life when representatives of the Caucasus fill our Olympic medal bank. Social nets declare that “a unique atmosphere” is established in Russian teams on combat sports: there is a so-called mafia which provides the Caucasus natives with places in the national team at major competitions. Nonsense of such statements shouldn’t have any reaction at silly rumors. However, the fact that athletes from the North and South Caucasus are set against representatives of other Russian regions is important. It is a kind of sporting version of the motto “Stop feeding the Caucasus.”
Instead of being happy with success of citizens of our state together with the whole country, some people prefer to live according to the principle “Whoever but not them.” In the desire to expose “sporting mafia” they ignore historic facts because achievements of guys from North Ossetia, Dagestan and Chechnya rely on deep historic traditions and national schools of sporting combats which have been formed for decades. It is not a surprise that many finals of Russian championships on freestyle and classic wrestling often turn into “championships of the North Caucasus republics.” For young people from these regions wrestling and boxing are one of the most effective social lifts, the road which leads to respect, glory and prosperity.
That is why those who speculate on the theme of “Caucasian sport” try to make one more separating line “ours-alien” addressing to Yakuts, Buryats, Bashkirs, and other ethnic groups of our country as there are many outstanding athletes among them as well. Probably if political points might be gained due to this theme, speculations on Yakut or Udmurt plot would appear. But the acute trend is different and speculators try to prove that the Caucasian people are different. I can tell them only one thing – trying to destabilize Russian unity in minor things, in sport, it is easy to make the next step and begin destruction of Russia as a state which exists due to consolidation and unity of peoples living on the great territory.
