We managed to qualify in another sport Russia has obtained 6 Olympic licenses in rowing and wrestling. Last weekend, Russian athletes fought for more than ten slots for Paris and managed to secure 6 out of the 14 available quotas. Although the results were not exactly as expected, the weekend cannot be called a failure. Russians unlocked a new sport - rowing in kayaks and canoes, and performed excellently in wrestling. Moreover, according to "Sport Express", Russian shooters plan to participate in two European championships in different disciplines, which will be held in Italy and Croatia in mid-May - early June. Several of our representatives have neutral status, and in Tokyo, shooting was one of the most successful sports for Russia, with eight medals (two golds won by Vitalina Batsarashkina). However, the leaders are unlikely to go. At the moment, the Russian team in Paris consists of 45 people and may exceed 50: - 16 - wrestling - At least 10 - judo (to be decided by world ranking) - 8 - tennis - 4 - taekwondo - 3 - cycling - 3 - rowing in kayaks and canoes - 1 - trampoline jumping Representation can be expanded by judokas - they have 14 licenses, but need to get into the top 17 of the international federation ranking. Deadline - June 25. In pentathlon, Ulyana Batashova can qualify for the Olympics if she gets the necessary ranking or finishes in the top 3 at the world championship. Finally, there are the shooters. There may be some twists of fate and approvals for participation in other sports or redistribution of the remaining quotas in favor of the Russians, but this is unlikely. In some sports, national federations themselves refused to participate in the selection - a clear example is artistic and rhythmic gymnastics and swimming, where Belarusians returned, but Russians did not. Wrestling From May 9-12, the last pre-Olympic qualifying tournament was held in Istanbul, where Russians could increase the number of licenses to 18 (from the 12 already held). Russian Greco-Roman wrestlers Sadyk Lalaev, Sergey Kutuzov, and Artur Sargsyan won licenses in the weight categories up to 60 kg, 77 kg, and 97 kg, respectively, reaching the finals (which were not held as both finalists qualify directly). Among women, one of the two slots was taken by Olga Khoroshavtseva: at the qualifying tournament in Istanbul, in the weight category up to 57 kg, she defeated Ukraine's Alina Grushina-Akobia with a score of 5:5 (due to points for passivity). Grushina won the bronze match, so she will also go to Paris. Sadulaev will not go to the Olympics - the IOC blacklisted the star wrestler. Whether the Russians will go is the question. The head of the Russian Wrestling Federation, Mikhail Mamiashvili, does not speak definitively about this, which is probably logical. "The main task facing our team has been practically completed - we continue to prepare for the Olympic Games. But until we see a clear protocol with the rules under which we will be allowed to compete in Paris, we will not make a final announcement. Currently, we have the opportunity to send 16 wrestlers to the Olympics, and we are preparing for this," the FSR website quotes him. The same federation website features an interview with Abdulrashid Sadulaev titled "My heart tells me that I will perform at the Paris Olympics." So we hope for the best outcome for the athletes. Rowing Simultaneously, in Hungary, qualifiers for kayakers and canoeists took place at distances from 200 to 1000 meters. And here the Russians, especially the women, could have brought at least one or two more licenses. But Svetlana Chernigovskaya missed the qualification by a second, and Olesya Romanenko - by 0.55 seconds. However, our veterans Alexei Korovashkov and Ivan Shtyl performed a small miracle - learning about participation in the qualifiers just a few days before the start (the canoe double Petrov/Pavlov was withdrawn due to Pavlov's likes on social media posts featuring Vladimir Putin), they started at the 500-meter distance and won the final race. Shtyl will likely compete at the Olympics at 37 years old. Another slot was won by Petrov, who almost lost the chance to participate in the Games due to his partner and strict rules. However, it seems that Russian canoe slalom athletes will not be allowed to participate in the Olympics, although the international federation ICF is not against it. The Czech authorities, who are hosting the competition, do not want to see Russians in the competition. In theory, one can enter Prague through other countries - this is how coach Maria Butyrskaya managed to get to the European figure skating championship, but do our canoeists have the desire and will, and does ICF have the loyalty to unconventional problem-solving methods? Shooting According to "Sport Express", Russian shooters plan to participate in the two remaining qualifying competitions for the Olympics - coaches speak negatively about the criteria in private conversations but believe they have the right to "close the doors for those who have not yet been to the Olympics." The federation is not against Russians participating in international competitions. Several Russian shooters went to the prestigious World Cup in Baku but did not win any medals and mostly dropped out after the qualifiers. There are two more qualifying tournaments left for the International Shooting Federation - the European Championships in trap shooting in Lonato, Italy, May 15-27, and in rifle and pistol shooting at 25 and 50 meters in Osijek, Croatia, May 23 - June 9. Russians will participate in both - probably not the world leaders, but there will be athletes worth cheering for. The remaining quotas will be distributed based on the world ranking. This summer, a tough battle with the Olympic admission commission is expected, which will likely try to reduce the presence of Russians and Belarusians in Paris. The delegation of the united "AIN team" is already quite impressive at the level of large European countries. And we must understand - this may not be the last Olympics in neutral status. Now, in many sports, Russians did not manage to qualify, but in 2028 we can return with a strong team. Given the problems with organizing the Friendship Games, it is strange to burn this bridge.