ZAGREB/WENGEN, Jan 16 (Hina) - The world's best slalom skier Ivica Kostelic has dismissed "malevolent fabrications" in the latest issue of Zagreb's "Nacional" weekly, which accused him of being a sympathiser of the Nazi
ideology.
ZAGREB/WENGEN, Jan 16 (Hina) - The world's best slalom skier Ivica
Kostelic has dismissed "malevolent fabrications" in the latest
issue of Zagreb's "Nacional" weekly, which accused him of being a
sympathiser of the Nazi ideology. #L#
In a statement issued on Thursday, Kostelic says that he and his
family despise Nazism and consider it one of the world's worst
evils. The saddest and most disgraceful fact, Kostelic says, is
that he is being exposed to base imputations in his own homeland for
which he competes with great ardour and love and that international
papers have quoted such malevolent claims without having checked
them.
"I am deeply hurt and appalled at claims about me and my family in
Nacional and our being brought in connection with the worst evil in
the history of mankind - Nazism," notes the statement for the
Croatian, European and world public.
"Wishing to stress my dedication to skiing and sports, after having
watched a war film several days ago, I used a clumsy and unfortunate
metaphor. If I have hurt anyone, I apologise most sincerely because
it certainly was not my intention," the statement notes.
"I was raised by my family to respect, above all, every man,
regardless of his nationality, religion or race. I was taught to
condemn any form of extremism, violence and lack of tolerance,"
writes Kostelic, adding that he condemned Nazism "as any other form
of absolutism which persecutes and commits crimes against people
and their freedoms".
"Regretfully, what I consider the saddest and most disgraceful is
the fact that I am being imputed so basely in my own country for
which I compete with so much ardour and desire, and I find it equally
incomprehensible that some international papers have quoted such a
malevolent article from the boulevard press without checking it,"
says Kostelic. He also claims that his statements in Nacional were
"taken out of context in a wider, off-the-record part of the
conversation following the interview, and were pieced together in a
sensationalist manner..."
"I am not a Nazi, I never was one, and I am sure than those who know me
as well as those who only follow my sport career and behaviour on ski
runs and outside of them know that very well."
I am an athlete and I have no time or wish to argue with people who
make a living by lying and making imputations. I believe that those
who, regretfully, have believed in the malevolent article, will
eventually understand that," says Kostelic.
(hina) rml sb