MeatballDom t1_j5xs1ag wrote
Reply to comment by AllMuckNoPuck in IOC issues statement on solidarity with Ukraine & sanctions against Russia and Belarus - Atlethes will be allowed to compete under neutral flag by RandomDKguy
On the one hand, absolutely, there's really no point in doing this if it's just this.
On the other, athletes don't deserve punishment or exclusion from an event like the Olympics, many of which this will be their only shot at ever competing in, just because their leader is a dick.
It would be nice to make some sort of demand that tv broadcasting affiliates never show the combined medal tally for the unaffiliated athletes though. Even though it means absolutely nothing in reality, these sorts of things do matter for propaganda purposes and "unaffiliated Russian athletes" or "Russia" not showing up at all on these leaderboards will sting a bit for Russian politicians, even if they pretend it doesn't.
angryve t1_j5yfdb3 wrote
I’ll go ahead and emphatically disagree. Plenty of other jobs have been impacted in Russia due to sanctions. Being an athlete doesn’t make one special. They can deal with their country’s politics if they don’t like it.
The_ApolloAffair t1_j5yoydw wrote
The Olympics have always been about competing in sports despite any governmental conflict. That’s how it was in Ancient Greece, and that’s how it has continued to be.
angryve t1_j5yp7n7 wrote
Civilizations grow with time, otherwise we’d still have slavery in the US/Europe. It’s time for the Olympics to grow with the rest of society and stand up against a genocide and illegal occupation
JordanPoohole3 t1_j5yvrtj wrote
“That’s how it was in Ancient Greece…” do you know what year it is dude??
The_ApolloAffair t1_j5z5hzs wrote
The US invaded Iraq and overthrew their government. Where was the Olympic ban for that? Where is the Olympic ban for Israel’s war crimes in Palestine? If the Olympics is going to take a stand against war/war crimes, they need to be consistent, and not just vilify the current bogeyman of the west.
JordanPoohole3 t1_j5zie25 wrote
Well true. But the IOC has always been extremely pro-West and politically biased so…
notquitetoplan t1_j5yjlwt wrote
Unfortunately the reality is that Olympic athletes are representatives of their countries, as much as they are competing for themselves. And especially in Russia. Yes, it would suck for a lot of people if they were completely banned. But that isn’t anyone’s fault but their own government. The IOC isn’t responsible for that.
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