INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDER KARELIN
Double Olympic champion Alexander Karelin, the customary guest of Yarygin’s tournament, believes that the changing of the rules “destroys wrestling”.
Karelin watched the wrestling from the very beginning of the tournament:
– You watch the women’s bouts so attentively and with the great passion, do you like women’s wrestling?
– I don’t like, when women wrestle. Unfortunately, the modern tendencies and liberalization in the society effected the situation in sport in such a way that from the men’s podium were pulled down such kinds of sport like heavy athletics and wrestling.
Of course, women are highly skilled. What unusual things they do on the mat sometimes! So when I am trying to imagine, how it could be applied to men’s bouts, I realize that it is impossible. A man is not able to do this. But in spite of that, I think that wrestling is not for women at all as well as the calisthenics is not for men.
– What is your attitude as a wrestler and spectator towards the new rules?
– I think that such frequent changes of rules just destroy wrestling. The constant changes in the rules cause the misunderstandings among the jury. It is hard for the wrestlers. And as Shamil Nevreditov said, a good wrestler will fight even on his knee. And we have a good wrestling school, so the wrestlers can cope with all kinds of rules. But the spectators feel discomfort; they can’t get accustomed to new rules quickly. When frequent changes in rules take place; the supporters can hardly appreciate the holds by themselves and that is why the audience’s interest to the wrestling becomes weaker.
And what about the frequent changes in the uniform!!! How many times the referees’ uniforms were changed! The wrestling begins to resemble the judo. It’s good that the wrestlers’ uniforms have not been changed yet; otherwise it would be funny to see the wrestlers wearing short kimonos.
There should not be such frequent changes in rules.
– Will you support anyone specially?
– Specially, I will support the Russian team. Despite the fact that Japanese sportswomen are praised here, I will support Russian sportswomen, especially the Siberians.
– Your arrival in Krasnoyarsk to Yarygin’s tournaments is a tradition. And what is the reason of your desire to come here again and again?
– The tradition is the tournament itself. And my arrival here is the tribute to the memory of Ivan Yarygin, and respect for the elder comrade.
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