'I just get so angry' - Beijing 2022 gold medallist Alexander Bolshunov slammed for attending Putin rally

Russian cross-country skiing star Alexander Bolshunov is facing heavy criticism following his appearance at a controversial rally in Moscow. The event on March 18, was held at the Luzhniki Stadium to mark the eighth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and featured president Vladimir Putin praising the recent invasion of Ukraine. Ad/> Bolshunov, who won five medals at Beijing 2022 including three golds, was pictured at the rally alongside fellow sports stars, understood to include — as reported by Inside the Games — figure skaters Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov… /> Winter SportsTEST MULTI WINTER PASS10/01/2022 AT 12:27 Some of the athletes pictured displayed the controversial ‘Z’ symbol, which is considered to be linked to the Russian military involved in the offensive, however, Bolshunov was reportedly not among those.

Despite this, the 25-year-old has been slammed for attending the rally by several fellow competitors. Norwegian cross-country athlete Chris Jespersen described the event as ‘sick’ and applauded the decision to ban Russian athletes from competing as a result of the ongoing invasion. “It's pretty sick what's going on,” Jespersen told the publication VG.

“I was cursed when I saw it. “It shows that it is good that they were not allowed to go the rest of the season. It is provocative to see." 'Inhumane' — Savchenko ‘speechless’ seeing figure skaters at pro-war rally Russia, Valieva, Trusova questions surround World Figure Skating Championships Swedish Biathlon star Sebastian Samuelsson was equally scathing, telling Aftonbladet: “You wonder if they are forced to do it or if they are as stupid as they look.