On the 5th, the International Olympic Committee banned the Russian delegation from participating in the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, scheduled for February next year, citing Russia’s "systematic manipulation of anti-doping work", but allowed qualified Russian athletes to participate as neutral athletes.
Russia strongly opposes this decision of the International Olympic Committee, believing that there is a "political motive" behind it, but it is not eager to fight back and start reflection at the same time. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the 6th that Russia will not boycott the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, nor will it prevent its athletes from participating in a neutral capacity.
[Against multiple sanctions]
Thomas bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, decided that the systematic use of stimulants by Russian athletes was "unprecedented destruction" to the Olympic spirit. Russia’s Kommersant reported that the International Olympic Committee suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee and imposed a fine of about $15 million. It also imposed sanctions on a series of Russian sports officials, including banning Russian Deputy Prime Minister and former sports minister Vitaly Mutko from participating in future Olympic-related activities for life and suspending the membership of Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander zhukov in the International Olympic Committee.
Russia strongly opposes the decision of the International Olympic Committee. Zhukov said that this is an insult to every Russian athlete. Franz Kline-Cevic, first vice-chairman of the National Defense and Security Committee of the Russian Federation Council and the upper house of parliament, said that sports has long been one of the important areas of international relations. The IOC’s move is aimed at isolating Russia, which will not only deal a heavy blow to the Olympic movement, but also to international relations and even world security.
Maria Zacharova, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that the decision of the International Olympic Committee made all Russian athletes very sad. "The international community did not expect Russia to rise again as a sports power. The world war, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and sanctions against Russia have not killed Russia, and Russia cannot be killed under any circumstances. "
The Russian doping incident began with a documentary broadcast by ARD TV in Germany in 2014, which claimed that doping was rampant in Russian track and field. Dick pound, then president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, then launched an investigation and released the results in November of the following year, saying that Russian track and field circles used banned drugs "systematically".
The independent committee appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency issued reports in July and December 2016, and found that the Russian government manipulated doping inspection, and thousands of athletes were suspected of taking stimulants in the past five years. As a result, Russian track and field athletes lost the qualification to participate in the Rio Olympic Games in the same year, and the Russian delegation was banned from participating in the Rio Paralympic Games.
[Condemning political motives]
Bach stressed that the decision of the International Olympic Committee was not mixed with any political factors. Putin believes that this decision "looks completely like being directed and has political motives."
Sergei Mikheyev, a Russian political commentator and former director of the Center for Political Situation Analysis, believes that the decision of the International Olympic Committee was politically motivated from the beginning. The doping storm will intensify before the Russian presidential election in March next year, with the purpose of destroying Putin’s image, dividing and disintegrating Russian society to the greatest extent and injecting negative emotions into Russia.
Mikheyev said that athletes use stimulants in many countries, but they have never encountered such severe collective sanctions. According to him, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s conclusive evidence about the doping incident in Russia only comes from the words of grigori Rodchenkov, the former director of the Moscow and Sochi Doping Testing Laboratory, in an interview in the United States. The so-called Russian government’s doping project is nonsense.
CBS and The New York Times broke the news in May last year. When interviewed by these two media, Rodchenkov identified Russian athletes’ doping as "government behavior".
Mikheyev said that this decision shows that the IOC succumbs to political pressure and can easily become a "political victim". The punishment of the International Olympic Committee is one of the means for the West to contain Russia. Western economic and financial sanctions against Russia, political, military and online suppression of Russia, and so on, are a set of overall strategies.
[Reflecting on coping style]
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said on the 6th that the decision of the International Olympic Committee should not be emotional and needs to be studied in depth. Vyacheslav volodin, chairman of the Russian State Duma and speaker of the lower house of parliament, has ordered to study the decision of the International Olympic Committee.
Mikheyev believes that Russia will not take boycott measures against the International Olympic Committee. On the contrary, Russia will find some compromise ways to make itself neither weak nor tough and isolated.
He said that if Russia could enter the leadership of the World Anti-Doping Agency and strengthen its position in the International Olympic Committee, it would not have to accept the rules of the game imposed by western countries, and it would not have suffered today.
Mikheyev said that Russia should reflect on this incident. First, it should resolutely put an end to doping. Secondly, it can consider creating alternative mechanisms while defending its own rights, such as creating a new brand of sports events.
He said that the global governance system established by western countries aims to maintain the dominant position of the West and will not consider the interests of other countries. This incident is one of the cases in which the West has effectively used its global governance system, and it has also sounded the alarm for other countries. Countries should use all feasible means to defend their rights in the international system, and should gradually establish alternatives to the global governance system, so that western countries will lose the opportunity to exert pressure.
[Free to participate independently]
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a statement on the 7th, expressing regret that the International Olympic Committee banned Russia from participating in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and hoped that Russian players would participate in the competition in their personal capacity. The statement said that the participation of winter sports athletes from all over the world, including Russian athletes, is the key to the success of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and the most important factor in practicing the Olympic spirit.
IOC President Bach said that while imposing sanctions, the IOC should draw a clear line to protect those innocent Russian athletes. The International Olympic Committee will invite qualified Russian athletes to participate in the competition. They will be called "Olympic athletes from Russia", and the invitation list will be determined after strict examination by a committee.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the 6th that the Olympic Games is very important for athletes. "If Russian athletes decide to participate in the competition in their personal capacity, we will not make any obstruction.".
Some athletes now hope to receive an invitation letter from the International Olympic Committee. Russian media speculated that a number of Russian heavyweight winter athletes, including figure skater Evgeniya Medvedeva and skier Sergei Ustyugov, were expected to be invited. They were younger, had no previous doping scandals and had no criminal record of using illegal drugs.
However, if they qualify for the competition, they must wear the competition clothes with the title of "Olympic athletes from Russia", which does not represent Russia. The Russian flag and national anthem will not appear at any ceremony, but the Olympic flag will be raised and the Olympic anthem will be played. (An Xiaomeng) (special feature of Xinhua News Agency)
"Clean" athletes who missed the PyeongChang Winter Olympics from the Russian delegation can be invited to participate.