Russia Sends Olympic Medalists to Visit Military Base in Syria

A group of members from the Russian Olympic team at Rio 2016, including several medalists, have been sent to the Hmeimim airbase in Syria to "meet with the soldiers of that country" and "plant trees." Russian state television on August 30 displayed seven athletes from the country engaged in sports training with soldiers and planting trees. Among the seven-member team are Russian fencers Sofia Velikaya, Timur Safin, Artur Akhmedkhanov, and Alexey Cheremisinov, who won gold medals in team competitions. The Hmeimim base in Syria is referred to by Moscow as its "permanent base" outside the borders of the Federation, and the Russian military uses it for air operations in support of Bashar al-Assad's forces. Two weeks ago, Sputnik reported that Russia intends to expand the Hmeimim base and station a certain number of its troops there, prior to the news of the use of the Hamadan airbase by the Russians. French news agency AFP quoted one of the athletes sent to the base in a conversation with Russian state television, stating, "We are going to meet our heroes." Yelena Isinbayeva, a Russian pole vault star, expressed, "We wish to support our soldiers. We want to tell them that they have a place in our hearts, that they are very close to us, and we are proud to have them." Isinbayeva, who did not participate in competitions due to widespread doping allegations against the Russian team, has now become a member of the International Olympic Committee's athletics council. The athletes who visited the Hmeimim base train and practice at the CSKA Moscow club, which was the official army team during the Soviet era and still has shares held by the Russian Ministry of Defense despite being privatized.