Zelensky blasts Olympic committee move: 'Any neutral flag of Russian athletes is stained with blood'

[blue-wave]

Source: The Hill

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday blasted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over its stated desire to include Russian athletes in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In spite of Zelensky's calls to exclude Russia from next year's Summer Olympics, the IOC on Wednesday said it aimed pursue a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as "neutral athletes" who "in no way represent their state or any other organisation in their country."

The organization said the passport an athlete holds should not be a reason why they can't compete, citing a "unifying mission" during wartime. It pointed to the example of Yugoslavian athletes competing at the 1992 Barcelona Games, despite the country being under United Nations sanctions during a civil war.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/3834410-zelensky-blasts-olympic-committee-move-any-neutral-flag-of-russian-athletes-is-stained-with-blood/

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What the IOC does not understand is that Putin will still propagandize all the Russian and Belarusian athletes. He will laugh (he likely is this moment) at the IOC's decision. On edit: Did they even consider the genocidal statements and actions propagated by Russia against Ukraine?

[Irish_Dem]

1. The world lets Putin cheat in the Olympics.

Russians athletes are often drug doping.
The Olympic Committee doesn't care.

[Freethinker65]

2. While I do feel for the athletes that would be penalized for their county's actions

Who will decide which athletes from these countries qualify? Isn't that usually up to the country which they represent?

[tornado34jh]

5. I assume there is a process

I am guessing they would do trials and qualifying and stuff, but again, it assumes that the athletes aren't affected by things such as drugs or political interference from their government, with the Russian doping scandal an example of the former, while Krytsina Tsimanouskaya of Belarus (government attempting to force her to return to Belarus) an example of the latter. But again, the IOC has been very inconsistent about things like this, and they have a lot of corruption in their ranks. So I would not be surprised if they do allow athletes from Russia to compete despite their Olympic scandals.

[KS Toronado]

15. Welcome to DU!

[tornado34jh]

17. Thanks

I am new here, although I have visited this site many times, so I will be here and there every now and then.

[KS Toronado]

18. Coming up in February

is the annual become a Star membership drive, for a small donation of say a couple million bucks
you can eliminate all pop-up ads.

[tornado34jh]

19. I see

I have the Adblock Plus extension on Chrome, and it works fantastic for me. I also have an Adblock for Youtube as well. It prevents all ads from showing up on Youtube. Saves me a lot of time so that I can get to the video without having to watch and wait for them to finish. Of course, many websites get snippy when you have it on, but again, with all the ridiculous ads that are put out, some of which were malware especially during certain times, it has worked for me. But I digress. In regards to the main topic, people say they don't want politics in sports, but they are as old as sports itself, long before even the Olympics. In an ideal world, it wouldn't be, but when you have these governments and organizations influencing it (e.g. FIFA World Cup in Qatar), it's impossible to separate them. Even the voting process into getting to host a major sports event such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup is often fraught with corruption. In many ways it is not really about sportsmanship as it is more about money. While it is true that hosting them can cost billions of dollars, often they will host it in places with questionable governments/human right records, such as Russia (2018 FIFA World Cup and 2014 Winter Olympics), China (2008 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics) or Qatar (2022 FIFA World Cup). Of course, the host city selection is done several years in advance, so even with current events (e.g. War in Ukraine), it is unlikely they are going to change it, especially if money is involved. I agree that Russia should not be a part of any Olympics or any major sports competition for that matter, but as long as they are corrupted by money, the IOC won't care. Thus I doubt they will prevent Russia from competing in the Olympics. It only matters when it suits them.

[niyad]

23. Welcome to our DU family.

[tornado34jh]

25. Thank you

I have been on this site numerous times before, but I am very new in terms of posting things.

[gopiscrap]

38. welcome to DU

[tornado34jh]

39. Thanks

I am going around and exploring the site and giving my take on many certain topics

[gopiscrap]

40. You're welcome....enjoy your time with us

[Warpy]

3. Unless Putin himself is competing

along with Prigozhin and Garasimov and the rest of his pals, I would think the committee made the right decision.

The Olympics are supposed to be a no politics zone, let the politics happen within the various countries if they have to.

I hate to see athletes who have single mindedly trained for years to be in the Olympics penalized because their countries are being run by psychopaths and assholes.

After the last regrettable administration in the US, I know how many of them feel.

[NoRethugFriends]

4. The olympics have never been a no-politics zone

[DinahMoeHum]

10. Indeed. Politics was baked into the cake of the modern Olympics. . .

. . .since 1896.

[AllTooEasy]

13. Exactly! And Zelensky's demand is completely political, same-as-usual, Olympic Bullshit

I back Pres. Biden's backing of Ukraine. I want Ukraine to win in humiliating fashion. Heck, nothing would please me more than for Ukraine to turn the tables, invade Russia, conquer it, and rename that 11-timezone spanning region to "The Russia" (wishful thinking, I know).

But these demands are bullshit. I bet if a truly anonymous, no-consequence poll of all Russian athletes or citizens was taken, a majority would demand a stop to this war and a complete Russian troop drawback. So why punish all of the athletes? Sanctions on a country is no reason to punish any individual athlete from that country.

Plus, what effective propaganda could Putin actually deploy? Putin: "Our Olympic medal-sweeping female shot-putters proved once and for all that Ukraine must submit." The world would collectively say "Get the fuck outta here!". Let Russian flag-bearing athletes get their asses kicked by US, German, and Ukrainian participants. We can play that asinine propaganda game as well:

President Biden: "Damn Putin, our 4x100 relay time just blew away your 4x100 team. Obviously, sending those tanks was justified".

Get the F outta here. Just make the Russian and Belarusian athletes take blood and pee tests every day of the Games, and leave it at that. Zelensky may still see his desired results, but for a non-political reason

[blue-wave]

26. "And Zelensky's demand is completely political, same-as-usual, Olympic Bullshit"

And the Russian demand that they play in the games while they attempt to genocide a whole nation is not bullshit? Well, I call bullshit on that.

The Kremlin will use every opportunity at the Olympics for their own propaganda purposes. Propaganda for Ukrainian blood.

[SouthernDem4ever]

32. So true.

The propaganda opportunity is all Putin cares about - not the ahteletes.

[cab67]

33. It's not just the politics.

It’s the cheating and doping.

[Lonestarblue]

6. Russia is a rogue country with leadership still supported by a majority of people there.

Many support the war and seem to think that whatever happens to Ukraine is justified because Ukraine belongs to Russia. When Russians stop terrorizing Ukraine and reign in their aspirations to create another Soviet Empire, then the world can allow them to be part of civilization. Until then, all aspected of Russia should be banned from any participation in world events. Perhaps this is not fair to the athletes, but they are part of a terrorist nation that is murdering their next-door neighbors with barely a peep of objection from citizens.

[blue-wave]

7. +1000

Spot on!!

[speak easy]

8. "with barely a peep of objection from citizens"

Russia drafts anti-war protesters into military amid nationwide demonstrations: monitoring group

More than 1,300 people were detained across Russia on Wednesday for participating in nationwide anti-war protests -- with some directly conscripted into the military, according to a monitoring group, after leader Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilization" of citizens for his faltering invasion of Ukraine.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/russia-drafts-anti-war-protesters-into-military-amid-nationwide-demonstrations-monitoring-group-1.6079347

[LiberalLovinLug]

14. this has to be one of the most evil things

To forcibly conscript anti-war protesters, probably throwing them onto the front lines as instant cannon fodder for the Wagner group.

I can't even imagine if this happened to me. There is already different classes of soldiers. The regular army. The Wagner Group, compete for top spot, and the most shielded positions. Then there's the new conscripts used for cannon fodder, and digging trenches.

But sometimes I also fear there is yet another level where they save the very worst jobs in camps for political protesters. Slave labour. And then also send them out with no weapons, or rusted useless or broken weapons into the fray under the threat of execution just to use up Ukraine ammunition. Horrible.

[blue-wave]

27. With a population of 145 million

the 1,300 arrested last September are an extremely small percentage of the Russian population. Granted, more were likely involved in the protest, but they would still amount to a very small percentage of the overall population.

[speak easy]

31. What percentage of the Russian population want to be sent to the front,

or have their sons, boyfriends, or fathers sent to the front? A better indication would be the 12.5 million trips out of Russia in the second half of 2022, virus the 5 million in [FSB stats].

If going out and protesting got you sent to 'Nam in 1968, maybe you might have decided to go to Canada.

[AllTooEasy]

16. And why do you think "with barely a peep of objection from (Russia's) citizens"?

Let me take a wild guess - they don't live in a free country like us.

Do you wonder why unarmed Blacks didn't peacefully march the streets of Birmingham and Richmond every weekend during The South's 250 year slave history? Or why Jews didn't openly protest the anti-Semitic laws against their businesses during the first weeks of the Nazi regime?

Seriously, you can't figure that out?

[blue-wave]

35. But

the Iranians live in/with an oppressive regime and they still protest en masse.

[Evolve Dammit]

9. Zelensky is absolutely right. The world needs to condemn the war crimes in every way possible. nt

[republianmushroom]

11. agree with Zelensky

[LiberalLovinLug]

12. Disgusting. The IOC is in bed with a mass murderer.

Every announcer is going to introduce every Russian athlete as a Russian athlete, no matter what their uniform looks like. Its not really much different than having the flag on their uniform or not. This is based on watching other years when this happened.

And Russian TV will no doubt use graphics, lots of Russian flags, to pump up their athletes and showcase them for their population whenever they are performing.

[Javaman]

20. 1936 olympics

The world knew hitler was doing some really awful shit but yet they still invited Germany and they still had it in Berlin.

The Olympic committee doesn’t really have a stellar record

[blue-wave]

28. It appears the IOC favors despotic totalitarians

who have taken a liking to genocide.

[LudwigPastorius]

21. If Russian athletes are competing, it's not really a ban at all.

President Z has a valid point.

And, pointing to 1992 ignores all the other times that countries, their flags AND athletes were banned. The IOC is full of shit on this one.

[Justice matters.]

22. Not. So. Fast.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217598825

[Doodley]

24. So we are saying that we aren't going to trade with your businesses, but we will play

games with your athletes? Absolutely the wrong message. The cost of this is the blood of Ukrainians.

[blue-wave]

29. +1000

Spot on!!

[Rhiannon12866]

30. Putin has a choice, as long as he continues his unprovoked war, he is a pariah in this world.

[cab67]

34. One of many reasons

I stopped giving a turd about the Olympics a long time ago.

[Grins]

36. I gave up on the Olympics long ago.

Run by people almost as bad as the ones who run FIFA. “Almost,” but really, really trying.

(FIFA: the governing body for soccer.)

[tornado34jh]

37. When even they ever been moral?

As I said before, it isn't really about the Olympic spirit, it is about the money.