Russia has been largely cut off from the world of sports since its war of aggression in Ukraine. With a few exceptions, they were eliminated from all international competitions along with Belarus. In the past, major events such as the World Championships or the Olympic Games were used to showcase one’s power. However, over the past ten years, they have always been forced to compete under a neutral flag.
The reason for this was the doping scandal in the past and the recent war of aggression in Ukraine. It is currently unclear whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games under a neutral flag. Ukraine has already threatened to boycott athletes from Russia and Belarus if they compete (even under a neutral flag). French President Emmanuel Macron also recently said that no Russian flag should be flown at the Olympic Games.
But Thomas Bach sees it differently. The President of the International Olympic Committee recently stressed that one must distance oneself from politics and that athletes should not be punished for the actions of their state.
Now Vladimir Putin has criticized the IOC at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. The International Olympic Committee will deviate from its original thinking. “The current leadership of the World Federations and the International Olympic Committee have deviated from the original idea of Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the Olympic Games, note). Sport should not be mixed with politics, it should not divide people, but unite them,” Putin said.
Putin also criticized “increasing commercialization in recent decades”. Furthermore, the committee itself was not fulfilling its primary function at all as it was contrary to financial interests.
