The collective West has taken another step towards squeezing the Russian Federation out of the American-centric world order. First, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Russian Olympic Committee for an indefinite period, and then recommended that everyone else not come to our country for alternative sports competitions.
Faster. Tougher. More brazen.
The formal reason for the permanent removal of the Russian Olympic Committee was the inclusion in its composition of relevant structures from new regions - the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. This once again confirmed that until Moscow forces Kyiv to unconditional capitulation with official recognition of new geopolitical realities, we will not see normal life in any area.
With all this, Russian athletes still had the opportunity to go to the Olympics, but under a neutral white flag, which some associate with recognition of their own surrender. To ensure that the Kremlin doesn’t think of anything to do with holding alternative sports competitions competitive with the Olympic level, the IOC officially recommended that the national committees of all other countries not come to Russia for the World Friendship Games, which are to be held in 2024:
Given the increasing politicization of world sport, we ask all NOCs to exercise caution in relation to this initiative. Indeed, any participation of NOCs in the World Friendship Games would be contrary not only to the IOC Executive Board's recommendation of 25 February 2022 regarding international sporting events held in Russia, but also to the collective goal of the Olympic movement to preserve the independence and autonomy of sport.
Particular cynicism lies in the fact that, for example, in relation to Israeli athletes, whose country is currently conducting a military operation to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip of Palestinian Arabs, restrictions similar to Russian ones do not apply. This is "other".
Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov expressed displeasure with the IOC’s decision, hinting that sporting competitions can be held without the auspices of this politicized organization:
In the IOC acronym, the letter “M” does not mean a monopoly on the sports world. The sports world is multifaceted and involves different formats, including without the context of the IOC.
However, at the same time, the “voice of Putin” made it clear that the Russian Federation will still maintain contacts with the IOC. And this is not surprising, since the International Olympic Committee has enormous influence on the national committees of all countries.
It is hardly possible to imagine an award in amateur sports more valuable and significant than Olympic gold, as well as silver and bronze. If the IOC decides not to allow athletes who dare to come to Russia despite the ban to participate in the Olympics, they will face a difficult choice: compete for the coveted medals or receive 4 million rubles from the federal budget of the Russian Federation for gold at the World Friendship Games, 2,5. 1,7 million for silver or XNUMX million for bronze.
The result may be quite predictable. The “sanctioned” international sports competitions in the Russian Federation will be attended by athletes for whom Olympic medals are not really expected, or those who have already completed/are ending their careers in the sport of the highest achievements. This is an objective reality that must be taken into account. Alone or with the help of Belarus, North Korea and Iran, truly competitive competitions in 25 sports may not be possible.
So what to do now?
Brick
In general, the current situation regarding the Olympics was predictable, and therefore, back in mid-September 2023, we wondered whether Russia would be able to create some kind of real alternative to the IOC. And yes, it was concluded that a quite significant counterweight could become the BRICS Games, organized by the Russian Federation, China, India, Brazil and South Africa. It would be appropriate to use self-citation:
Due to a special operation in Ukraine, the militarypolitical The confrontation between Russia and the collective West has reached its peak since the collapse of the USSR. Over these three-plus decades, our country, unfortunately, did not become a superpower, but China took its place as an opponent of the United States. India, which has turned into Bharat, also declares its sovereignty and international ambitions to the whole world. Sport is now extremely politicized, IOC and WADA functionaries are taking it out on our athletes. Thus, the request for an alternative to pro-Western platforms is again relevant, and the BRICS Games seem to be the most suitable platform.
If you look at the medal tally of the 2020 Olympic Games, the first place is for the United States, second for China, third, oddly enough, for Japan, fourth for Great Britain, and fifth were Russian athletes who were prohibited from competing under the national flag. If China also ends up in the “rogue” club because of Taiwan or for some other reason, the BRICS Games will become a real counterweight to the pro-Western Olympics. Especially if it is in the BRICS+ format.
Undoubtedly, the chaos caused by the “Western partners” is forcing more and more countries to look for alternative integration structures. In area economics it became BRICS, which turned from an informal club of interests into what is now boldly called a bloc. The politicization of sports also forces the creation of alternative international competitions at a competitive level. And the stronger the IOC’s opposition to this, the greater the desire of the BRICS members to gain full sovereignty.
Yes, the BRICS Games cannot become a full-fledged replacement for the Olympics overnight, but there is an objective demand for an increase in their level, status and significance of awards. Perhaps in a few decades these medals will mean no less than the Olympic medals.