I woke up this morning to the devastating news that Russian Olympic and World Champion in gymnastics, Nikita Nagorny, led a march of Russia's Youth Cadets this week. A video of Russian soldiers thanking him and team mates Denis Abliazin, David Belyavski and Artur Dalaloyan for a donation has appeared on social media.
Both of these stories have to be independently verified.
It is not for us to judge individuals in this awful situation. Who knows what the truth is. The IOC certainly shouldn't issue ongoing status notifications about whether this person or that will be allowed to compete in Paris 2024. They haven't yet issued any definite rules about Russia's participation in the Games, so no judgement can be made. And the issue of Russia's participation in the Games is not a matter to be settled under individual accountability. It is far more serious than that. Collectively, Russia must show that it complies with the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, as published by the IOC on its website.
It's a fairly long document that I have published at the bottom of this page, if you want to read it all. To me, the important terms include ideas of 'respect for universal fundamental ethical principles', 'placing sport at the service of harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society'. 'The practice of sport is a human right', requiring 'fair play'. Sports organisations 'shall apply a principle of political neutrality'.
The staging of the Olympic Games is only one way in which the Olympic movement promotes its fundamental principles. If you have attended an Olympic Games or lived in an Olympic city, you'll know that there are whole cultural and educational programmes accompanying the Games. Perhaps these need to be higher profile. The practice of sport is central to the principles, but sport does not have to be a high level elite competition to contribute to peace and the harmonious education of society.
'Fair play' cannot be guaranteed when one country is being bombed by another. As Oleg Verniaiev has pointed out, Ukrainian athletes are homeless, cold and dying while Russians train in the gym. Verniaiev has been unable to train in his home town, Donetsk, since 2014, the date when Russia first invaded Ukraine. It is understandable that he is so vocal in condemning his rival gymnasts in Russia. But it's the IOC who has to make a decision about Russia. The IOC should remember that its symbol, interlinking rings, is recognised around the world as a cipher for peace. Its presence is powerful, conferring adherence to ideas of peace and friendship, and Russian citizens may take its use by Russian athletes to be an endorsement.
Its absence too is significant and powerful. Russian people should not be able to gather under the Olympic rings until President Putin has withdrawn his troops from Ukraine and agreed peace. Russian people should know that this is happening and what it signifies - a wholesale rejection of Putin's aggression towards Ukraine by a large part of the rest of the world.
The IOC has proposed that Russian athletes may be allowed to compete in Paris 2024 under a neutral flag - the flag of the Olympic rings. They say that they do not wish to politicise sport and that individuals should not be barred from elite competition because of the colour of their passport. Yet for many years President Putin has used sport as a means of promoting his country overseas and unifying his population behind him. His view of sport is firmly political. It's hard to know how his athletes can be politically independent when his policies and practice are applied with such ruthless and brutal efficiency. Journalists, athletes, politicians and ordinary people have been murdered, imprisoned, ridiculed and silenced by Putin's regime. There is no freedom for individuals to express their dissidence freely.
Putin will look to the Olympics to provide him with endorsement from his population and to improve the morale of his citizens. He will use medals as evidence that his country is forward looking and finding victory against all the odds. He will seek to demotivate Ukraine. Neutral flag or not, he will use the Olympics to gain momentum in his wholly illegal attack on Ukraine. President Zelensky has asked the IOC to exclude Russia from the Games. Politics is part of sport. The IOC should have the courage to use their world mandate as a symbol of peace and exclude all Russians from the Games. The Olympic rings should not be seen in Moscow, St Petersburg, Novosibirsk or Voronezh next summer.
Neutrality is useless. Neutrality allowed six million people to be slaughtered during the Holocaust. Silence confers agreement. The IOC has to take courage.
It's a sad day when I cannot support my beloved Russians in gymnastics.
"Fundamental Principles of Olympism
1 Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.
2 The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
3 The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world’s athletes at the great sports festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.
4 The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.
5 Recognising that sport occurs within the framework of society, sports organisations within the Olympic Movement shall apply political neutrality. They have the rights and obligations of autonomy, which include freely establishing and controlling the rules of sport, determining the structure and governance of their organisations, enjoying the right of elections free from any outside influence and the responsibility for ensuring that principles of good governance be applied.
6 The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
7 Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC."
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