Although Artur Dalaloyan voiced his displeasure with the IOC's advice, he was adamant in his resolve to stick with Dynamo, the team that has played a significant role in his life since his childhood.
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Russian Olympic gold winner Artur Dalaloyan has indicated that he will not leave his club, Dynamo Moscow, despite the prospect of being prevented from competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games owing to his association with a military team. The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suggested on Tuesday that Russian athletes who support the conflict or have military ties not be permitted to compete in international sports. Dalaloyan, who took home the gold in the men’s team event at Tokyo 2020, said that he will still back Dynamo, a military club that works with law enforcement.
Although Artur Dalaloyan voiced his displeasure with the IOC’s advice, he was adamant in his resolve to stick with Dynamo, the team that has played a significant role in his life since his childhood. “Of course, I have dissatisfaction with what is happening,” he said, according to Sports.RU, an application for Sports fans. “I believe that no one will succumb to these recommendations. We all have values. Yes, my Dynamo club represents law enforcement agencies. It is valuable for me that I represent Dynamo and law enforcement agencies.”
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Dalaloyan’s issue is different because the IOC’s suggestion is unclear on whether the membership in a pro-army club would violate the recommendation not to be associated with the military. He is still dedicated to Dynamo and the principles it upholds in spite of everything. “I am grateful that they helped me train further,” he said. “And because of some recommendations, I will not agree to leave my favorite club, which I have been representing all my life.”
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the IOC Executive Board first recommended a complete ban on Russia and Belarus from international competition. However, the IOC has now softened its stance and is looking into ways for athletes to compete neutrally in specific circumstances. Despite the fact that nothing has been decided about Paris 2024, Dalaloyan is still optimistic that the Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports would contest the suggestions and find a way to modify the existing structure.
Artur Dalaloyan is a three-time world champion with many Olympic and World Championship medals. He took part in the 2020 Summer Olympics as a competitor for the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and he was a member of the group that captured gold at the 2020 Olympic Games. Dalaloyan has also won five European championships and won nine medals in the World Championships. He began gymnastics at the age of six, while still living in Novosibirsk, after being born in Tiraspol, Moldova, to an Armenian father and a Russian mother. Eventually, his parents moved to Russia.
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