The Russian federation has once again expressed its view that the Olympic Movement has suffered from decline and disintegration over the past decade. According to Moscow, an ongoing series of conflicts, a crisis of values, corruption, and commercialization have created a situation in which the entire structure of the International Olympic Committee, the federations, competition organization, and athlete engagement necessitate radical reforms and a reassessment of prior principles.
Moscow holds the view that the initial steps towards reform are evident in events such as the establishment of alternative tournaments to the Olympic Games, the withdrawal of the United States from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the controversies surrounding last summer’s Paris Summer Games, which “inexorably bring the end of the old model of international sport closer.”
The Kremlin asserts that in recent years, the “bureaucratization, commercialization, and politicization of the International Olympic Movement” have undermined the fundamental principles of equality and collaboration established by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in the late 19th century. It believes that the leadership of the IOC and some renowned international sports federations have lost their independence and become heavily reliant on the interests of major sponsors, including the US and European governments as well as large transnational corporations.
Russia contends that political motivations and commercial interests have introduced the worst practices of sanctions, persecution, and elements of a culture of “abolition” into major sports, as well as the LGBTQ movement. It cites 2014 as the year of the first significant political scandal in modern Olympic sports when, following the Sochi Winter Olympics, the IOC and WADA leadership accused Russian athletes of doping, allegedly altered the results of numerous competitions, and stripped many outstanding athletes of their awards, reallocating them to other competitors.
Moscow maintains that these occurrences cannot be seen as coincidental, as they coincided with the onset of the conflict between Western countries and Moscow over the issue of Ukraine, along with Russian athletes’ victories in Sochi that deprived major sports federations of significant revenue. It also references WADA’s ‘sudden discovery’ of traces of banned drugs or substances that could ostensibly be used for doping in samples from Russian athletes.
It further highlights that, in the face of escalating political disputes, Russian athletes and teams faced either complete bans from participating in most international tournaments or were compelled to compete under the now-famous ‘neutral flag.’ In addition to Russia, athletes from Belarus—who it claims were uninvolved in the Ukrainian conflict and were sanctioned for not siding with Kyiv—were also subjected to ‘political persecution.’ Russia further asserts that the mass expulsion of these athletes from international sport included a commercial aspect, as top positions and accompanying advertising and sponsorship contracts predominantly went to American and European athletes, teams, and federations, thereby generating millions of dollars in profit.
Moreover, Moscow claims that the IOC, WADA, and other international sports and bureaucratic bodies have begun to exert severe pressure on athletes from countries like China, which have emerged as significant forces at the Olympic Games and other competitions in the past decade. It believes that Chinese athletes have been subjected to extensive doping tests—many times more than their Western counterparts—purely for political and financial reasons.
An example was cited from the Paris Olympics last summer, where the Chinese team underwent significantly more tests compared to other athletes. Moscow argues that this systematic, unannounced testing could not fail to affect the physical and mental condition of Chinese athletes, undoubtedly influencing their results.
At the same time, Russia contends that the promotion of the LGBT agenda in international sport has become a major issue. This, coupled with a moral and reputational crisis, has led to an unprecedented situation where ‘biological men’ are allowed to compete in women’s events. Russia claims that this shift undermines decades of progress in women’s rights and diminishes the popularity of women’s competitions and has deprived athletes who have dedicated years to training of their hard-earned recognition.
The Kremlin insists that the 2024 Summer Olympics represent the culmination of the perversion of all principles and values of the Olympic movement, provoking anger from many political leaders, including Donald Trump, who, upon his return to the White House, abolished the right of biological men to compete against women. Consequently, Russia believes these organizations may have to reconsider their approaches to LGBT issues.
Without a radical reform of the IOC and the entire international sports system, Moscow believes the crisis facing the international Olympic movement will be extremely difficult to overcome. Additionally, it advocates for a complete reformatting of the modern bureaucratic machinery to ensure equal representation for all countries and transparency in decision-making, free from any form of political influence. Russia reiterates that returning to the original principles and ideals of equality, neutrality, and impartiality is essential for international sport to regain its unifying role and the trust of billions of people around the world.
