Russian Champion Faces Threats After Exposing Authorities' Deceptive Promises
Russian freestyle wrestling champion Natalya Malysheva has accused Khakassia's Minister of Sports, Sergey Kochan, of threatening 'consequences' following her statements about unfulfilled promises of prize money payments. According to the athlete, the regional authorities promised her one million rubles for winning the World Championship, but they failed to deliver on their commitment. as reported by NewsBox.
Natalya Malysheva, the Russian freestyle wrestling champion, stated that Khakassia's Minister of Sports, Sergey Kochan, threatened her with potential 'consequences' if she continued to speak out about the unfulfilled promises concerning prize payments.
According to the athlete, after her victory at the 2024 World Championship, she was supposed to receive a million rubles for a mortgage down payment. This promise was personally made to her by the head of Khakassia, Valentin Konovalov, as well as the region’s Minister of Sports. However, after her triumph, no payments followed.
Malysheva’s coach told journalists that in 2023, the republic's authorities had also announced they would provide the wrestler with an apartment, but this topic later disappeared from discussions. The only support from the republic remains a sports scholarship, and all competition travel is solely funded by the Wrestling Federation.
In light of the scandal, the Khakassia Ministry of Sports stated that a meeting took place between Kochan, the athlete, and her coach, where officials 'clarified' the situation regarding the payments. However, no specific deadlines for resolving the issue were mentioned.