Take one ring out of the Olympic symbol - thediplomaticaffairs.com

Geneva, Switzerland

Op-Ed World July 29, 2024

Take one ring out of the Olympic symbol

Photo: AFP

“The Olympic symbol expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from all over the world at the Olympic Games.” (Olympic Charter, Rule 8) “These five rings represent the five parts of the world now united by the cause of Olympism and ready to accept their fecund rivalries. Moreover, the six colors thus combined reproduce those of all nations without exception.” This is how the Olympic Movement was defined by its founder, Pierre de Coubertin. The Olympic Games are perhaps the most beautiful manifestation and celebration of the diversity of cultures, of the respect that representatives of various countries have for each other (regardless of international politics), of fair play and friendship, of the principle “may the best man win”, respectively of the virtuosity and vigor of the performing nations. More than that, it is also the culmination of the Sisyphean Labor sustained by thousands of accomplished athletes for four years (and a lifetime for that matter), all culminating on the day of competition, when chance/divinity tips the scales in favor of the chosen ones, the differences in value being often almost non-existent. Respect, sacrifice, optimism, diversity, friendship – these are the key words when it comes to the Olympic Movement.

Russia was only banned from the 1936 “Nazi” Olympics

The principles of the Olympic Movement cannot be respected in half measures or be applicable only to some. A principle is either fully respected or not respected at all. The beauty of the sports world also lies in this fact – it’s not like in real life, in sports the principles are really respected. Or they used to be… The opening ceremony, a topic on which many people rightly focused, is only the tip of the iceberg of this moral (and sports) failure called the Paris 2024 Olympics. The elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about is the exclusion of Russian athletes. Such an exclusion has existed only once before in the history of the Olympics, namely during the 1936 edition which was organized by the Nazi Party and opened by Adolf Hitler himself. The collective West has adopted a Nazi practice by excluding Russia, a pracrice directly opposed to the founding principles of the Olympic Movement – the acceptance of rivalries between nations during the games and the participation of all countries without exception. Currently, the IOC, controlled by the collective West, pretends that some countries don’t exist. This could also be an option, be it immoral, if we were the masters of the truth. But the truth is our master.

2024 Olympic Games, a simulacrum for sports

“With a total of 2,655 medals, 1,070 of them gold, 841 silver and 744 bronze, the USA is at the top of this hierarchy, ahead of the now-defunct Soviet Union, which is in second place with 1,010 medals (395 gold, 319 silver and 296 bronze) (…) Romania is in 17th place.” At least in some of the sports, the results of these games is a sham. In judo, for example, where six weight categories have already competed, most likely no podium would have looked the same if Russian athletes had also competed. I am convinced that many other sports, especially contact sports, but not only, are in the same situation. By excluding the Russians, many competitions are not only very weak in terms of sport, but the results are not representative. So, the situation is revolting (also) from a sports point of view.

However, what about Israel?

An Israel which is bombing Lebanon even as Israeli athletes are performing at the games? Why are Russians excluded and Israelis not? What about Belarus? Why are the Belarusian athletes to blame? Although the situation does not seem so serious through the lens of the disingenuous propaganda orchestrated by the collective West, it is agonizing when considering the global democratic cause. It seems to be in clinical death – but they say the only causes worth fighting for are the lost ones. Returning to sports – we either return to the original principles of Olympism, or we continue in a purely communist paradigm and give them up. The famous Friendship Games can be established on the Soviet model. We can call them the NATO & Friends Friendship Games for example. And the Olympic symbol can be without the ring that represents the Russian part of the world, why not? How many absurdities have we been fed in the last period, how would one more affect us?

By Andrei Gusa

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