The IOC offered Russia neutralization in Paris 2024 and exposed wires

The anthem and flag, any national attributes are illegal. Perform in a neutral status. Individually. Outside of teams, which are prohibited (synchronized swimming, for example, is completely excluded, because solo is not in the Olympic program, and a duet is already a team). Under the careful supervision of commissions that monitor the compliance of each applicant with the criteria. No connections with law enforcement agencies. And generally without any vicious (in the IOC’s opinion) connections.

The list of everything that is prohibited and for which punishment will follow is huge. You can’t call it unexpected: it was in vain that they rolled it out a long time ago and ran it in, starting in March. International federations then called for the next recommendations of the IOC: return Russians to the competitions, but be careful when it comes to limits. The measure is “strict criteria”. Someone returned it right away. Some have still not returned, even to the detriment of their own sport. And someone is frolicking with the criteria: what else can they come up with?

Checking compliance with the criteria is a separate matter for officials and an excellent source of income. After all, everything will not be free, that is, for nothing. Each athlete must pay for the humiliating test himself: in gymnastics 3,000 Swiss francs (more than 300 thousand rubles at the current exchange rate), for support staff – 1,500; in aquatic sports – 5000 euros; Archery is inexpensive – 750 euros.

Creativity today is the key, if not to success, then certainly to a heated discussion, and this is already half the success. The International Aquatics Federation (World Aquatics) is probably proud of itself: it does not give a centimeter to Russian swimmers from the mixed zone (ban on going there after the swims), not a minute of press conferences (ban on entering there). She announced the possibility of entering only one athlete per distance, and also gave birth to a couple of innovative ideas for selection – exclusively for Russia.

And literally hours after Bach’s statement on the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Games, the President of the World Athletics Association, Sebastian Coe, made his statement about non-admission. The Briton rushes ahead in his line, not trying to cover it up with some beautiful words about the Olympic spirit and thoughts about the fate of the athletes. Bach, of course, should probably experience at least a feeling of annoyance: Coe (oh, he’s still aiming for Bach’s chair) and World Athletics are actually going against Dad. But the “dad” is not yet in the mood for obstinacy.

Sweden calls Russia’s admission “outrageous”, Norway – “disappointing”, Ukraine condemns the “irresponsible decision of the members of the IOC Executive Committee” and is again thinking about a boycott, promising to closely monitor the implementation of the selection criteria for our athletes. And so on: but there is nothing new here either. As in the fact that Bach is personally branded: a long time ago he promoted the return of Russia.

The IOC burns in different places, it noticeably fries them. It seems that it is indecent to trample not the “guilty” state, but the athletes: the Olympic spirit must be preserved, at least for appearances. But it is no longer possible to play outside of politics. Bach plunged into the swamp up to his neck. One wrong move and he’ll sip his heart’s content from swamp slurry, and that’s where it all ends for Thomas.

For our athletes, the letters AIN have been prepared, individual neutral athlete. Among the prohibitions that are usually visible at the ceremonies of the Olympic Games, there is still some confusion with the music at the awards (what if one of the neutrals wins?). The minds of the IOC are puzzled: at the last two Olympic Games, instead of the Russian anthem, a fragment from Tchaikovsky’s first concert was performed, and at Pyeongchang 2018, the Olympic anthem was performed. Apparently, the IOC is not satisfied with either one or the other today. And he still can’t decide: should these impersonal people participate in the opening and closing ceremonies or not?

In principle, the IOC told everything about itself in a few cynical phrases of the release. “Only a very limited number of athletes will be able to qualify through the existing qualification systems of international federations. Among the 4,600 athletes from all over the world who have qualified for Paris 2024, there are currently only 11 individual neutral athletes (eight with a Russian passport and three with a Belarusian one). For comparison, to date more than 60 Ukrainian athletes have qualified for Paris 2024. It is expected that the composition of the Ukrainian delegation will be approximately the same as at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.”

The veil of chastity of the Olympic movement, its commitment to some ideals is not needed, the time has come to name everything clearly. That’s what the IOC calls it. For those who are especially stupid and unreasonable, they also compare.

We said that there are no illusions. But they continued to believe in miracles. At the last Summer Olympics – and now Russia was allowed just in time for the Summer Games (the history of the Winter Games, when everything starts all over again, has yet to be experienced), we had beautiful victories. There were 335 athletes in the team, they won 71 medals, 20 of them were gold. And some of the coaches and athletes, naively, but in the spirit of sports traditions, when the strongest are honored and respected, have often remembered the wild card recently. Maybe they will invite at least the current champions? “No individual neutral athlete will be given a new or additional opportunity to qualify for the Games,” the IOC specifically emphasizes. Many of the tournaments have already taken place without us, and some in the future we have not yet been admitted to.

The IOC wants to get in Paris a dispassionate athlete who has undergone a neutralization procedure, showing seconds or overcoming meters, but even while enjoying himself, tightly controlling himself. Each leader – and we have also been talking about this in recent months – will decide for himself whether to enter where the crooked doors of the IOC have opened. Are you ready to go if he is taken away, are you ready to go with three letters, to pretend that everything Russian is not yours. Both before the Games and after them, so that sanctions will not catch up even retroactively if you appear somewhere near the flag or with the flag. Pay for humiliating checks, get by in Paris without the help of usual specialists, prepare at your own expense, and so on…

It’s hard to give up hopes. But life is not simple at all. The argument that athletes “gave their lives” on the way to their main dream – the Olympic Games – sounds painful today. Yes, this is true, but figurative. The image is not reality. But the existing reality cannot be thrown out of life. And neutral status does not fit into it.

The questions are straightforward. But this does not mean that the answers should be the same. Each warrior sees his own strategy. And liberation as well. To compare the Olympic Games to a battlefield is to be like those who brought politics into sports. But the shackles must be thrown off somehow.

The words of the current world record holder, two-time Olympic medalist swimmer Kliment Kolesnikov are worthy of great respect. “I can only speak for myself. There are guys who are ready to agree to these conditions of international federations and perform. I will be happy for them if they go to the Olympics. I can’t do this.”

Two exposed wires in the hands of our athletes. It takes courage to go to the Olympic Games. And the courage to refuse them.