08.12.2017, Russia.
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision regarding the Russian Olympic team has a political component, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, said on December 7 at a Cabinet meeting, RIA Novosti reports.
“The decision made by the Olympic Committee has another component, which is also clear to everyone, especially in the current situation; it is a political component. This decision was made in the run-up to the election in our country, the presidential election; its purpose is to create a certain public sentiment,” he said.
“Abroad, they understand very well the great importance our citizens place on elite athletic competition, as do citizens of other countries,” the Prime Minister added.
Two days earlier, the IOC Executive Committee disqualified the Olympic Committee of the Russian Federation. According to this decision, Russian athletes cannot compete under their country’s flag, and they cannot play their national anthem. If they agree to participate in the Games, Russian athletes will have to raise the white Olympic flag and compete as OARs (Olympic Athletes from Russia).
Editorial comment
The fact that the decision is politically motivated is clear. The IOC’s actions are obviously aimed at humiliating Russia and its citizens. What is strange is the reaction of some part of the Russian establishment, which says that such conditions should be accepted for the sake of defending honor and conscience. This poses the question: had the direct defacement of state symbols been a condition for participation, should it also have been accepted?
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
