Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus published two conversations on Tuesday with the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, who assumed that he was communicating with African politicians. Just like a week ago, the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Witold Banka, Bach directly stated his opposition to everything that Russia is doing in world sports.
What Bach said Just the other day, the IOC President, speaking in Fiji at the Assembly of the National Olympic Committees of Oceania, admitted that his organization is a player in world politics. We entitled the material on the Sport website with the words “burned and without pranksters.” We make an amendment and respect Vovan and Lexus: apparently, it was after a conversation with them that Bach was forced to officially voice a number of theses he expressed to “African politicians” so that they would not produce the effect of a bomb exploding.
In chronological order, the “African politicians” had a conversation with Bach after they talked with Banka. In fact, the President of WADA, as can be understood from the recording, recommended that the leader of the international Olympic movement discuss current issues with representatives of the highest political circles in Africa — and, first of all, the Friendship Games planned in Russia.
““These are games of the Russian President and the Russian government. If you and your authority could influence the governments of African states, we would be very grateful,” Bach told his interlocutor right off the bat. Later he stated that those who wish to perform at the Friendship Games “will take someone’s side.” Although it is quite obvious that the vast majority of athletes who will be dissuaded from going to this event in Russia simply will not understand what is wrong with taking part in both one Games and others.
But the IOC understands everything. Of course, they really fear that the Friendship Games will become a much bigger holiday for the world than the Olympics in Paris, where, as the mayor of the French capital Anne Hidalgo quite officially stated, athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be welcome. So they denigrate as best they can an idea behind which only those who clumsily engage in this politics can see the politics.
What the IOC is afraid of Like fire, the IOC is also afraid of other initiatives behind which they see Russia — so they are playing it safe . Even despite the risk of ruining relations with other countries. Thus, a German official admitted something that not everyone around the world will be happy about — that the IOC “made sure that the BRICS Games (last year) did not have any influence on international sports.” Although Russia had nothing to do with them — this event took place in South Africa.
It was probably no coincidence that at that meeting in Fiji, Bach also remembered athletes from Yugoslavia who competed in a neutral status at the 1992 Olympics — because he gave the same analogy to the “African politician”. True, he did not explain the logic — so we can only assume that it is exclusively in the spiritual connection between Russia and Serbia.
The rest is a complete absence of this very logic. “We are punishing those who are responsible… That’s why there is no anthem and flag,” the IOC President said about the absence of Russian national symbols at the Olympics, although it follows from his numerous statements that athletes should not be responsible for the actions of their governments. Then why are they obliged to perform at the Games in Paris under a light green flag with three foreign letters and listen to a dubious musical composition of unknown authorship on the pedestal? No answer.
Ukrainian question Another recent statement by the IOC President is that the organization asked Ukraine to monitor the behavior of potential neutral athletes. He stated the same thing to the “African”. At the same time, Bach constantly emphasizes the principle of neutrality, which the IOC allegedly adheres to. How one relates to the other and in general how ethical it is to rely on the default opinion of a biased party is absolutely unclear.
“In recent years, the leadership of the international Olympic movement has skillfully mastered the art of proving that black is white,” Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee, said Monday. I would like to argue with him here. Where is the “skill” here, and especially the “skillful” possession of it? The head of the IOC is openly “floating”, trying to use the right words to conceal the anti-Russian policy of his organization.
And it constantly “punctures” at the same time. This is not the first time on some topics. For example, the official position of the IOC, expressed in the reports of its commissions, regarding the doping scandal that occurred at the Olympic Games in Sochi — it was of an “institutional” nature. That is, in other words, violations at the level of the anti-doping organization. The IOC reports state it bluntly: there is no evidence of interference by the Russian authorities. But this is not the first time that Bach, speaking about those Games, uses the words “special services” and “government.” Tends to slander.
The situation with IBAAs well as another issue raised in the conversation with the pranksters. The reason officially announced by the IOC for depriving the International Boxing Association (IBA) of recognition is management problems. The IOC put forward certain conditions to the IBA, then decided that they were not met and revoked the federation’s license. This is the second Olympic boxing tournament the IOC will hold independently.
At the same time, Bach and his associates were asked more than once at press conferences — is it not the personality of the Russian Umar Kremlev, who heads the organization? They denied. But in a conversation with an “African politician,” the IOC president calls Kremlev nothing more than “a corrupt guy who is trying to bribe others,” and also gives the IBA president a number of other characteristics that, in fact, could lead to court proceedings.< br>It would only make sense — given the latest similar experience concerning, for example, the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva. And the IOC President never tires of speaking out on this topic. Even during the Beijing Olympics, Bach suddenly attacked the coaches who allegedly showed cruelty to the athlete after her mistakes in the individual tournament. Apparently, I decided to teach the mentors of many Olympic champions how to work. And now Bach is indignant in a conversation that Valieva continues to be supported in Russia. Although even CAS carefully admitted in its decision that it turned out to be too strict…
Not so long ago, it seemed to many that the IOC president was really trying to somehow maneuver in a difficult situation when certain political forces are trying to use sport for their own purposes. But now the masks have been dropped, thanks also to pranksters. You can no longer blame Bach for sitting on two chairs. He discarded the second one long ago.
And again one can argue with Pozdnyakov, who in February of this year expressed confidence that Russia will compete at the 2028 Olympics as a single team. Perhaps, of course, Stanislav Alekseevich knows something, but so far the picture looks like this: under this leadership of the IOC and under this president — and Bach hinted to the pranksters that his nomination for a new term is actually being discussed, contrary to the provisions of the Olympic Charter — our country in the Olympic movement no room.