Some Russians have dismissed the Games over the continued exclusion of their athletes. But the truth is international sport is still important to Moscow
Duma member Vitaly Milonov didn’t mince words when asked four years ago about the international ban against Russian athletes.
“There’s no point in humiliating ourselves and begging to be let in,” said the St Petersburg deputy, a member of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party. “We have our pride.” International events had been corrupted by the United States, he claimed in a 2022 interview, just weeks after the International Olympic Committee and other governing bodies imposed the ban. “Only Russia can say no. Other countries will accept whatever nonsense the Americans force on them – teams of vegans, queers and lesbians.”
Some Russian commentators have taken similar stances toward this year’s Milano Cortina Winter Games, asking why their athletes should even bother with the Olympics. The Paris Games were said to be a cesspool of un-Russian immorality – “the Olympics from hell,” one news site proclaimed. And with the national team still excluded, competition this year will be subpar. “The Olympics have lost their importance as a global competition,” Milonov said in January.
