Russian athletes were offered the role of “dissident refugees” at the Olympic Games

All the dances with tambourines around whether or not to let our athletes into the Olympic Games in Paris have already gone beyond the wildest fantasies. Especially rabid agreed to create a team of refugees for Russia. If they have reached the point of absurdity, is it worth it for us to react at all?

Russian athletes were offered to compete at the Olympic Games in the status of refugees. Not to everyone, but to those who are “dissident athletes.” This is not an official offer of official sports structures. A flight of crazy thought at a meeting of three dozen countries.

The refugee team competed at the Summer Olympics in Rio 2016, as well as in Tokyo. The purpose of its creation was, as stated by the IOC, a signal of hope and solidarity to millions of refugees around the world. In Brazil, there were only 10 participants, in Japan – already 29.

Thomas Bach said before Rio that refugee athletes enrich the entire Olympic community. And in front of Tokyo, he noted that there were even more internally displaced persons in the world, so it is obvious: the IOC refugee Olympic team should be put up again. The team came out second at the opening ceremony with the Olympic flag, just behind the Greek team. Athletes from Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Cameroon, Venezuela… Yes, they all received an IOC scholarship. They were not seen on the pedestal.

And now Poland has proposed the creation of a “team of refugees”, which could include dissidents from Russia and Belarus. Minister of Sports of Poland Kamil Bortnichuk said this, commenting on the negotiations between representatives of 35 countries.

Then the next Ministry of Sports, this time Great Britain, announced the holding of a summit with the participation of 30 states to coordinate the position on the admission of Russians and Belarusians to participate in the Games in Paris. And before that, the Minister of three directions at once – education, science and sports – of Lithuania, Jurgita Shyugzhdinene, said that a group of 35 countries would demand that Russian and Belarusian athletes not be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris. She joined the requirements, in addition to the traditional lovers of Russia, also the United States, and France, and Germany and Japan. She said that they would not even need a boycott, because “all countries are unanimous.”

What exactly of the desired minister managed to pass off as real, time will tell. But to evaluate such words is not the most serious matter. As well as letting yourself be drawn into artificially imposed discussions. There is a common wisdom – no need to argue with professional brawlers, it’s just a waste of nerves and time.

The IOC has remained cold so far. Thomas Bach, having heard the word “boycott”, rather quickly wrote a response to the Minister of Sports and Youth of Ukraine Vadym Gutzeit in response to his letters to members of the IOC Executive Committee, colleagues from NOCs and presidents of international federations. Bach’s tone was rather harsh. Each NOC is required to abide by the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter, the participation of neutral athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has not yet been specifically discussed. And the Ukrainian letter itself, which exerts pressure in an attempt to publicly influence decision-making, “was perceived by the vast majority as at least extremely regrettable.”

About the announced summit of 30 countries, the press service of the IOC answered simply: we do not comment on the interpretation of individual participants in the meeting, the general content of which is unknown.

Whether we believe the IOC or not is not the question. But maybe it’s time for us to not comment on someone’s interpretations? Why are we doing? Why do we shudder and start from every lunge in our direction?

Yes, it hurts. Yes, opponents know this. Raise the same wave of hatred. They have no life without her. But we have it. And we also have supporters. Their voices are still drowning in the choir of those who are always hungry at the desire to prick Russia more painfully. But still they sound.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights, Alexandra Xantaki, did not, in the vague IOC style, lay out the situation in clear answers to questions. Is it possible to separate an athlete from connection with the state if many of the athletes have military ranks? Yes, you can. “Many athletes from different countries are serving in the army. Many states violate human rights. “Should we exclude them? We didn’t. This is direct discrimination solely on the basis of nationality. Nothing else”.

Three-time Olympic champion in biathlon, German Kati Wilhelm asks: what good has international sport done by pushing Russia aside? Changed something in the situation in Ukraine? And not only she asks.

… At the Alpine Skiing World Championships in Courchevel, where there are no our athletes, Thomas Bach was again forced to talk about the behavior of the governments of some countries. “It is not for governments to decide who has the right to participate in what sports. If you give it to them (one would like to add “to be torn apart”, because it is so), then the end will come for international competitions, world championships and the Olympic Games.

And he said that history will show who does more for the world: “those who try to keep borders open and interact, or those who want to isolate and divide.” He also spoke about the unifying mission of sports.

And our coach of Olympic champions Yuri Borodavko, it seems to me, said it better. He wonders what these people will do and how they will live, inventing all sorts of “refugees” for Russian sports when Russian athletes get the right to participate in the Olympics. How will they survive this? Assumes everyone has had a heart attack.