Report speaks of 'secret Russians' at Olympia
Fewer Than Two Dozen Russians and Russians Compete at the Olympics but Report Reveals How Many Bypass Sanctions
Only 15 Russian athletes are allowed to participate in the Summer Olympics in Paris. They were able to convince the International Olympic Committee that they did not support the unlawful war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine and had no connection to the Russian military. However, outside of these "Individually Neutral Athletes," including those from Belarus, a large number of Russians and Russians are competing in France.
"There will indeed be several dozens of athletes born in Russia in Paris," writes the "Wall Street Journal," "but they will compete under the flag of other countries, having recently adopted new citizenships to bypass the numerous sanctions against Russian sport." This reportedly kept some Olympic hopefuls alive, as the restrictions due to the war were much stricter than those due to Russian state doping.
For comparison, in 2021 in Tokyo, the flag and anthem were indeed banned, but the Russian Olympic Committee still had 330 athletes and won 71 medals. The US team had the most medals (113), followed by China (89), and the 425 nominated German athletes stood on the podium 37 times.
"Fraud against my country"
According to the "Wall Street Journal" (WSJ), "at least 18" born-Russian athletes were nominated for the Paris Games. The Russian Sports Ministry reportedly confirmed in August 2023 the change of nationality of 67 athletes and athletes since early 2022, while independent observers reportedly registered up to 200 such cases, although they did not involve Olympic sports. Russian sports officials reportedly despise these switches. The WSJ quotes the gymnastics coach Valentina Rodionenko: "I wouldn't even call that a shame, but a fraud against my country."
The runner Sardana Trofimova, who will compete in the Marathon for Kyrgyzstan in Paris, is given as an example. For the 36-year-old, these are her first Olympic Games, despite having met the qualifying standards three times. In 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, she could not participate due to the complete exclusion of Russia by the Track and Field World Council. In 2021 in Tokyo, she was not among the few Russians who received an exception. Due to another complete exclusion in Paris, she sought an alternative - and found it in a former Soviet republic.
Anastasia Kirpichnikova chose a different path, the swimmer now glides through the water for France. The president of the Russian Swimming Federation reportedly refused to comment, but did admit that he was "raised differently." However, athletes and athletes justify their nationality changes with pragmatism, without any political message. The diver Igor Myalin, for example, said at the record that he missed his homeland but subordinated it to his sporting goal. "For many athletes, the practice of their sport is the motivation. For which country they compete in, is then not so important," he said according to the WSJ in June.
Russia Ignores Olympics Widely
Russia largely ignores the Olympics. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has not sent a delegation to the opening ceremony for the first time since the end of the Cold War. The Russian flag and anthem are also banned due to the country's invasion of Ukraine. The Russian government has criticized the decision to exclude Russian athletes from the Games, and President Putin has called the sanctions "unfair." However, many Russians seem to be more concerned with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the economic consequences of the sanctions than with the Olympics. According to a recent poll, only 13% of Russians consider the Olympics important, while 62% believe that the country should focus on its own problems.
Despite the report, there are athletes and athletes who prefer not to participate in the Olympics rather than representing a foreign flag. Swimmer Evgeny Rylov, Tokyo Olympic champion in the 100 and 200 meters backstroke, reportedly stated on Russian television that he "would not yield to the provocateurs from the West" and called the sanctions "nonsense." The 26-year-old participated in a propaganda show on the anniversary of the unlawful annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula in March 2022 and displayed the Z symbol, a sign of support for the aggressive war.
Russia is also attempting to offer alternatives to its sports heroes. At the "BRICS Games" in June in the Russian city of Kazan, for instance, besides the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), many other countries were supposed to participate - however, according to the "Wall Street Journal," several competitions had to be canceled due to insufficient registrations. Originally planned for September, the "World Friendship Games," which the Soviet Union intended to host for all countries boycotting the Olympics in Los Angeles, were reportedly postponed by the WSJ. The IOC had called for a boycott of the event.
No Russian calls for a boycott of the Paris Summer Games have been reported so far. However, in Russian television, the neutral neutral team will not take place: The largest sports event in the world will not be televised in the second most successful nation in Olympic history (after the USA). The colossal power is clearly unwilling to show sports with few Russians. And the few who are in France can indeed compete in their events. However, they are excluded from the glamorous opening ceremony on the Seine on Friday evening.
In contrast to the strict restrictions imposed on Russian athletes due to the war, some have managed to compete in the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris under different nationalities. For instance, the marathon runner Sardana Trofimova, originally from Russia, will represent Kyrgyzstan in Paris.
Despite the numerous athletes born in Russia participating in the Paris Olympics, their country, Russia, has chosen to ignore the event, largely due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the economic consequences of the sanctions.
