Zhurova: Ovechkin Never Won Olympic Gold Himself

Svetlana Zhurova, the State Duma deputy and Olympic speed-skating champion, has spoken about Washington captain Alexander Ovechkin's standing with Russian supporters and his links to the country's political leadership. She noted that while Ovechkin is a powerful athlete, he still lacks an Olympic gold medal, a dream he may hope to fulfill through his children.

"Alexander is a very powerful athlete for me, but he has never won Olympic gold. I think he had a dream like that: there should be at least one more Olympic champion in the family. But I expect that everything is still ahead for his children, if they choose that path. Maybe that is how he will be able to fulfil the dream. Sasha is, of course, a tremendous athlete. And all his sporting achievements outweigh any off-ice noise. It is difficult for our fans to hold anything against him for playing in the NHL, because he glorifies Russia — everyone in the world knows who he is. Even if some of our super-patriots tried to condemn him for not being in Russia, nothing came of it, because he truly glorifies Russia," she said.

"Sasha is like a peacemaker. He created Putin Team, and the West earlier tried to condemn him for it. His sporting achievements won't be erased by any attempts to go after him. Respect for him around the world is that high. It is hard to imagine such a situation with another athlete. But the reaction was measured: these are his wishes, his position, his respect for the president. Another athlete would certainly not have been forgiven for this, and something would surely have been done about it, some sanctions introduced. Even the club supported him. Sasha sends a signal to the whole world that sport is outside politics. What matters most is sporting results, the admiration of fans, skill, and it does not matter which country you are from or what political events are taking place. This is sport: I am here, I delight the fans, I develop hockey around the world. And the whole world really does support him," Zhurova said.