Russia has been a pariah in the Olympic Movement for several yearsfirst because of state doping and now because of the war in Ukraine, but their presence at these Games will border on shame, as only fifteen Russian athletes will compete in Paris.
By decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), all Russian athletes will be neutral -they will not carry national symbols and will not listen to their anthem- and there will be no Russian representation in team sports.
As an alternative to the Games, Russia called the World Friendship Games, but they had to be postponed until 2025 due to a boycott by the IOC and the West.
A minimum team
In principle, a maximum of fifty Russian athletes can go to the French capitalcompared to the 335 who participated in the Tokyo Games, also as neutrals.
However, in the end only 36 athletes were invited by the IOCof which 21 – mostly wrestlers and judokas – declined the invitation at the last minute.
The wrestling and judo federations justified their decision by excluding some of their best athletes, although other sources spoke of political pressures.
For all these reasons, the Russian team will be smaller than the Belarusian team (16) and half of the refugee team (37).
Russia’s final list includes seven tennis players – including Daniil Medvedev –three canoeists, three cyclists, a swimmer and a trampoline gymnast.
Russia won 71 medals in Tokyo (20 gold, 28 silver and 23 bronze)which placed him in fifth place on the medal table.
Some countries, including Ukraine itself, have threatened to boycott the Olympic Games, as happened in Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984, if the Russian team participated in its entirety as it did three years ago .
Excluded and traitors
The list of excluded Russian athletes is endless. It starts with those who have publicly shown favor of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, whether in the media, social networks or at public events.
Many members of CSKA and Dinamo clubs were addedhistorically associated with the Armed Forces and State security bodies, respectively.
Finally, members of team sports such as volleyball, basketball, water polo or handball, in which Russians have always competed at a high level, will also not achieve Olympic glory.
Furthermore, for one reason or another, they rejected possible participation from the beginning, considering that the conditions imposed by the IOC were embarrassing for Russia, gymnastics, swimming, weightlifting or fencing federations, if to which we must add athletics, marginalized for. a decade due to state doping.
“The conditions they propose to us are (…) unacceptable. I consider them a disgrace. If they want to see us, we should go without any restrictions,” said Vladimir Salnikov, legendary president of swimming federation and four-time Olympic champion.
Of course, there are some exceptions, as Yevgeny Somov, who recently broke the national record in the 100-meter breaststroke, will compete in Paris after receiving the status of a neutral athlete.
Civil war in Russian sport
Participation in the Games unleashed a real civil war in Russian sports, joined by some populist politicians, who did not hesitate to criticize some athletes traveling to Paris.
“You can’t talk about traitors here. If they were traitors, they would have changed countries,” commented Shamil Tarpischev, legendary leader of Russian tennis.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov backed him, but Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdniakov called the tennis players who came to Paris a “group of foreign agents.”
The legendary coach and president of the rhythmic gymnastics federation Irina Víner went further, referring to the Russian team that went to Paris as a “team of vagabonds” and described the music that plays when a neutral athlete climbs as a ” funeral march.” at the top of the podium.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained a resounding silence, although he replaced Sports Minister Oleg Matitsin two months before the inauguration, publicly supporting participation in the Games despite the current antagonism to politics in the West.
“We have to continue competing, we have to win, we have to earn the right to compete, including in the Olympics. Yes, there is no anthem; yes, there is no flag, but we have been fighting like this since 2016 and everyone knows that if who. let’s go,” he said.
Of course, the Kremlin positively appreciates the IOC’s decision not to ask Russian athletes to sign any document condemning Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
