Russian Olympic Champion Reflects on Being Barred from Paris 2024
I’m sailing down the river with Olympic champion Mariya Lasitskene. We’re not in Paris; we’re passing the Kremlin in Moscow. Mariya, who won gold in high jump at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is part of a unique event that combines athletics, fashion, and music.
Mariya can’t defend her title at the Paris Olympics because Russia’s team is banned due to the war in Ukraine. This decision, made by World Athletics, prevents even neutral Russian athletes from competing. Mariya finds it too painful to follow the Olympics, saying, “The Olympics are the greatest event in the world, and we should be there.”
Meanwhile, Russian media is criticizing Paris 2024. Newspapers like Moskovsky Komsomolets have called it “The Games of Satan,” and Argumenty i Fakty dubbed it “The Olympics of Hell.” It seems Russia is expressing its displeasure through harsh commentary.
Russian MP Mariya Butina adds to this sentiment, saying the Olympics have become about politics and religion, not sport. She defends Russia’s actions in Ukraine as self-defense, despite the international view that it’s an invasion.
Due to the ban, these Olympics aren’t shown on Russian TV, a first since the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Only 15 Russian athletes are competing in Paris as neutral athletes, without national flags or anthems, and after thorough vetting to ensure no links to the military or support for the war.
In Moscow, a nationalist group has organized a sports festival with traditional Russian games, starkly different from the Paris Olympics. Activities include “stick wrestling” and “wall-to-wall fighting,” alongside military displays where people pose with guns.
Back in Moscow, Mariya Lasitskene misses the competition. She says, “Every athlete wants to compete with the best, and you can only do that at international competitions. I do miss it.”
This insight was reported by BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clwyy9j8wxdo