Athletes from Russia and the 2024 Paris Olympics

The Paris Olympics have ended and yet in the final days I caught a video clip of a Russian athlete who of course is not allowed to represent Russia and should he win, the anthem of his country won't be played. This is due (we're told) to the various doping scandals surrounding Russian sports. They must compete as 'neutral' athletes and as such there were only a dozen or so at the games.

But that's not all. Athletes from Russia were subjected to background checks to ensure no connections to the Russian state, military, or security services - presumably because Russia is under international sanctions. This scenario also applies to athletes from Belarus. They are accused of facilitating the Russian war in Ukraine.

But in addition these requirements, athletes were subjected to 'social media' checks and the like in order to verify they did not in any way 'support' the war in Ukraine.

But even this wasn't good enough for some and many in the West criticised their very presence.

Imagine if the same had been done with American and British athletes in 2004 with regard to the criminal war in Iraq? It wouldn't have been tolerated.

What about Israel in 2024? Why weren't its athletes subjected to the same scrutiny?

Western media made much about the fact that Russia chose not to broadcast the Paris games. They weren't shown on Russian television - though this does not have quite the impact that it would have in pre-internet days.

Outlets like the NPR and BBC reported on Russia's increasing isolation and rejection of the West - and by extension its values.

This is partly true. Russia did condemn the sodomite bacchanal which took place in the opening ceremonies. If anything the actions of the West continue to push Russia in the other direction. This was not so in the early 2000's. Culturally Russia hasn't changed all that much but the shift in the West has been rather dramatic. Beliefs that were effectively mainstream just twenty years ago are today viewed as not just backwards but evil.

With regard to the Olympics, it seems clear that the West dominates the IOC and is determined to shut out Russia. The grand event that's supposed to be above politics is all about politics. I am convinced they are waging a campaign against Russian athletes. Kamila Valieva is probably the greatest figure skater even seen and yet the Western Establishment destroyed her and have worked assiduously to destroy her career in international sports. The repeated insults to Russia's athletes are meant to humiliate them - and Moscow. The Olympic Games are now characterized by a tone or mode that we all remember from Cold War days. Jimmy Carter boycotted the 1980 Moscow summer games due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This is particularly rich given the US was trying to provoke that very invasion and give the USSR its Vietnam. Moscow responded by boycotting the 1984 Los Angeles games. The entire episode was viewed as a regrettable mistake that accomplished nothing apart from mostly ruining two consecutive games cycles. Thankfully the 1980 Lake Placid and 1984 Sarajevo games were not affected.

We currently have no official boycotts but the politicised situation has amounted to the same. Instead of a boycott we have a ban and if this continues it will begin to undermine the games themselves. At this point I would hardly weep over this as it's all become unwatchable anyway. How long before the US attempts to exclude China? They're surely next.