The IOC has hung Russian sport on a nail: is it necessary to refuse participation in the Olympics?

The IOC has hung Russian sport on a strong nail. Someone may be preparing this nail for something else. But for now, we’re hanging there, waiting. OCD is suspended, there is no clarity regarding the invitation of even individual athletes in a neutral status. And the IOC talks all the time about the protection of athletes and their intended participation in the Olympic Games: both summer and winter. He waits, plays out the same scenario with qualifying points: no body, no business, this is, they say, fate.

“Our six-year-olds raise their hands at concerts and their nails are painted in tricolor. They come already as patriots!” – Irina Viner is sure that we need to refuse ourselves, and not expect anything. No one should go, no one should humiliate themselves. Yes, we performed in Tokyo 2020, there was no flag there either, but “at least there was Tchaikovsky, but now we have a white uniform: we give up.”

The renowned specialist has many supporters. He says it gives me goosebumps. “Our athletes are separated by a red line, there is a hunt for wolves and puppies.” The intensity of emotions of the highest level. And these are our common emotions.

And the President of the Russian Tennis Federation, Shamil Tarpishchev, just calculated: playing without a flag, as of the beginning of October 2023, our athletes won 470 victories in tournaments on the international stage (under 13 years old – 54 victories, under 15 years old – 73, under 17 – 10, up to 19 – 182, adult athletes – 151). And he summed up: results have been achieved in 67 countries of the world, “everyone knows that these are Russians, this is Russia.”

Would you like to object to something? Will not work. Because also follow these victories (fans, of course, are that part of society that is passionate about sports). And you absolutely don’t want world tennis to lose our players. And any other sport where the names of Russian athletes are well known. Because there are the same emotions of the highest level. And not only gaming, there is a lot of patriotism too. Goosebumps. “We shouldn’t slam the door, that’s all they’re waiting for,” many managers say this.

It’s not at all a shame that there are athletes who feel confused, sincerely not understanding what would be better for the country: should they go or refuse? For the second one, you don’t need to do anything; on the contrary, you need to not do anything, that is, simply not submit documents for neutral status. The first one also requires courage.

But the confusion lies precisely in this: what is morally permissible in the current situation and what is not. Hence the cries of the soul. Like, for example, the champion and Olympic medalist Semyon Elistratov, who has already performed in a neutral status twice: at the Games in Korea 2018 and in Beijing 2022. Both there and there won bronze medals after the gold in Sochi 2014.

Semyon says that, of course, there is a difference between the neutral status in 2018, the restrictions in 2022 and what is being proposed now. He admits: “It seems to me that in this situation the president of our large country should say whether we act in a neutral status or not.”

And one can, of course, after such words (and Semyon is not the only athlete who has expressed such an opinion) throw reproaches: are they babies, is it difficult for these athletes to solve the problem themselves? To each – for himself personally? Why is there no clear civic position?

But one can understand: they are not trying to do our sport today, but have already torn it apart for international performances. Divided into team and individual. Some athletes may be allowed to go, but others will definitely not. The leaders were sorted into right and wrong. They threw out those who make up the glory of world sports. The president of the fencers, Ilgar Mamedov, whose Olympic champions are not allowed to compete due to belonging to the “wrong” clubs, has been asking for many months, for example: what is the fault of the army team and Dynamo? Why no one cares: the same CSKA athletes are in the International Council of Military Sports (CISM) system to participate in the Military World Games. And CISM has been officially recognized by the IOC since the end of the last century. And in this system there is simply no one without shoulder straps. If the IOC recognizes the organization where we are invited today, then let our athletes compete everywhere…

Then, in Pyeongchang 2018, when many of our leaders were not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, everyone who went to perform was united. “Those guys who weren’t allowed in are still with us. We will fight not only for ourselves, but also for them. All those who will go must understand this,” said Ilya Kovalchuk. And the same Semyon Elistratov, having won the first medal for our entire team in Korea, said: “Before the Games, some people asked me: “Semyon, what Olympics, why are you going?” And I took and won this bronze! He did not retreat where others retreated, did not give up where someone else could have folded. I’m incredibly happy, incredibly proud, and I dedicate this award to all the kids who were so vilely and vilely not allowed to participate in this Olympics without any explanation. This is for you, my teammates!”

Are these the words of babies? Perhaps, not to retreat, not to give up, not to give up, in spite of everything, even today – this is also more necessary than turning your back?

…When we talk beautifully about an athlete’s right to choose, for some reason we mean that it can only be like this: refusal to participate. And that this will be correct, because you cannot compare trenches and sports fields.

You can’t compare. Sucker Punch. Impossible. Not fair. And it is not necessary. “If you can help the country in the area where you are a professional, help,” is the opinion of many leaders.

Among those for whom (still in theory) this Paris 2024 will happen may not be our Olympic champions at all. They will either not meet the selection criteria. Or they will not step over what they personally consider humiliation. Or they completely reconsidered their attitude towards the Games after attending them. Especially the latter – without a flag and anthem, in conditions where even fans should not show their belonging to their native country…

But young boys and girls who feel strong can end up there. The generation of young people from childhood was not brought up with the dream of winning the Spartakiad. Unfortunately, this is not their fault, but the omission of sports structures, which for a long time were concentrated only on international success. And these guys and girls dreamed for many years of just reaching the Olympic Games. Perhaps, in years to come, our competitions, which we are coming up with today in order to keep the sport at a high level, will gain strength, including foreign participants. They will (should be!) be cool. And they will be at least somehow comparable to the Olympic Games. But today there is nothing cooler than the Olympic Games.

Let the athletes go. Those who will be allowed in, who will decide for themselves. There is no need to disturb them. And force those who have received neutral status to look for words to justify themselves. And there is no need to rush into clarifications, as happened with the swimmer Girev, who suddenly found himself with access to international competitions: where, how is it so, he wasn’t going to! Do we also need an internal “hunt for wolves and puppies” -2?