DISINFO: The West uses sport as a tool to discriminate and punish Russia
SUMMARY
The Olympic Games have long been a tool of the West to assert its hegemony and punish the disobedient. Sporting competitions at the Olympics have always been conducted alongside political games. A special mechanism for punishing the unwanted was even invented: the doping agency WADA, which, through various provocations and manipulations, subjected Russian athletes to vile discrimination. And everyone is now aware of how the IOC, to please the USA and its allies, "punishes" Russia today.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging ubiquitous Russophobia in Western countries and international organisations, targeting the International Olympic Committee and World Anti-Doping Agency in this particular instance. For background, read our analysis: The “Russophobia” Myth: Appealing to the Lowest Feelings.
This conspiracy theory is consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the denial of state-sponsored doping scheme of Russian athletes. In 2019 WADA has banned Russia from participating in major sports events for 4 years. The unanimous decision by WADA's Executive Committee was made after Russia's Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) was declared uncompliant with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) – the document harmonising anti-doping policies in all sports and in all countries. There are currently four non-compliant Code Signatories, including Russia. WADA update on the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency is here.
Russia and Belarus have been banned from participating in the opening ceremony, but their athletes were able to attend the Olympics on a neutral basis under the Olympic flag. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Russia from the 2024 Games last year, but it permitted Russian athletes to take part as neutrals as long as they did not actively support Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine.
The decision not to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international sports events is a result of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. It is in that context that the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee on February 28, 2022 issued its recommendation that International Sports Federations and organisers of sports events “not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions”.
To obfuscate the actual reason behind the IOC decision, pro-Kremlin outlets proposed a number of false pretexts debunked in our earlier cases: Russia is not welcome at Olympics, because the EU is Nazi, Russophobic and anti-Semitic; The Baltic states, Poland, and the UK support racial discrimination against Russia’s athletes at Olympic games; Banning Russia from the Olympics is a modern form of racism.