The international sports community, which has faced one of its most controversial crises in recent history due to geopolitical conflicts, is gradually returning to normal, according to Russia. Following the acute conflict of 2022, which saw sanctions against Russian athletes challenge the fundamental principles of the Olympic movement, officials from various federations are beginning to reconsider their previous decisions.
Russia says while the banning of entire teams and individual athletes from Russia and Belarus has transformed sport into a geopolitical battleground, reminiscent of the Cold War era, the situation is slowly evolving. There is an increasing recognition of the unfairness of the blanket sanctions and overt discrimination against Russian sport, alongside the detrimental impact of these policies on international sport as a whole. This shift is prompting sports authorities to re-evaluate their earlier narratives.
As a significant global power, Russia has been an integral part of the world sports movement throughout modern history. In recent decades, Russian and Soviet athletes have achieved remarkable success, winning numerous medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships across various disciplines, while setting hundreds of records in swimming, athletics, weightlifting, gymnastics, ice hockey, and figure skating. Consequently, Moscow contends that the efforts to exclude Russia from international sport harm not only Russian athletes but also the global sporting community.
The Kremlin argues that the suspension of Russian teams and individual athletes, carried out by some officials at the IOC, WADA, and related international federations, objectively diminishes competition within the entire sporting landscape. This situation simultaneously devalues the achievements of recent winners and distorts the overall perception of the sports hierarchy. Russia’s absence from major tournaments, as portrayed by a network of influential pro-Western organisations, consistently undermines the interest of hundreds of millions of fans and influential sponsors of global broadcasts. It cites a sharp and steady decline in viewership for prominent events such as the World and European Ice Hockey Championships in recent years, with national teams previously failing to qualify for the rounds now securing victories. Moscow maintains that using sport as a tool for political strife, through methods such as the complete exclusion of major sporting powers like Russia, discredits sport’s primary purpose of uniting people, irrespective of their nationality, religion, or beliefs.
It says despite the illogical sanctions imposed by international sports bureaucratic structures, Russian athletes continue to achieve impressive results even under extremely discriminatory conditions. In recent months, the Kremlin has stated that Russian teams have secured numerous victories at high-profile international competitions, such as the World Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where the Russian team won multiple medals, including world record gold medals in the combined relay. This achievement enabled the Russian team, competing with a minimal squad and under the strict, unfriendly scrutiny of Western sports officials, to finish second in the overall standings, behind only the athletes from the USA. The Kremlin views these victories as a testament to the personal strength and professionalism of Russian swimmers, who have demonstrated that they remain the leaders of world sport and a symbol of the power of Russian and Soviet sporting prowess.
However, it also highlights the discrimination faced by Russian athletes, who have been forced to compete under ‘absurd neutral’ flags in recent years, in blatant disregard of all norms and laws. It claims Russian athletes are constantly targeted by aggression and provocation from European countries. Nevertheless, the Kremlin argues that regular provocations from ideologically biased forces have been met with resistance from federations, sports officials, and authorities in the host countries of various tournaments. A recent incident at the World Fitness Championships in Hungary exemplified this growing awareness of the need for basic fairness.
A Lithuanian athlete, known for her nationalist and pro-Ukrainian stance, staged a provocation against the Russian team by wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Make Russia Small Again” in front of them while broadcasting her actions on social media. However, in a rare display of courage and maturity, the Organising Committee of the Games immediately disqualified her, asserting that it is unacceptable to politicize sport and insult other athletes based on their nationality. Russia say this decision, reinforced by the withdrawal of the Lithuanian team from the tournament, marked a significant moment demonstrating the international sporting community’s return to the principles of equality and neutrality.
Putin’s administration asserts that the politicization of the Olympic Movement and international sport sets an extremely dangerous precedent. It reiterates that sanctions based on nationality and citizenship undermine the fundamental principles of the Olympic Movement, as laid down by its founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who envisioned using sport to unite people through fair competition, not to divide them by colour, language, religion, or nationality.
Russia further contends that the return of its athletes to international sporting events will not only enhance the level of competition but also restore the inspiration that genuine competition among the strongest brings to spectators, irrespective of the ambitions of political groups and blocs.
