The controversy surrounding Olympians is vexing. It is still being decided whether ours will go to the Olympics without a flag. And accordingly, Russia should sponsor such athletes or allow them to become self-sufficient. In reality, both officials and ordinary people are sitting around discussing whether tens of millions should be paid to those who will demonstrate without flags. Fortunately, while we are discussing the IOC (International Olympic Committee) He solved this dilemma for us and banned Russia from financing neutrals.
I also think there is no need to pay them. What does it do? I believe that we are pouring exorbitant amounts of money into big sports in general. There was a period when Olympic athletes were literally showered with money and gifts: they paid millions, gave public SUVs. I have absolutely no idea why. It is generally accepted that there is a connection between the success of national teams in major sports and the spread of sports and a healthy lifestyle among the public. But I think not!
Sports is a very expensive pleasure nowadays; A simple example of high results is not enough for boys and girls to rush to sections: money is also needed. Especially considering that Russia has traditionally been strong in sports such as hockey, skating, rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming.
Do you know how much hockey costs in big cities? Up to hundreds of thousands per month. Artistic skating is even more expensive. Gymnastics is a very expensive sport. This is not to mention the fact that there must be a non-working adult in the family to direct children to regular education.
Well, children will look at the victories of our athletes – but what will happen next? Where will they go? To a regular ice rink? There are very few free ice rinks, paid ones in large cities start from 400 rubles per hour. And horseback riding isn’t much fun for a kid who knows that a real sport is beyond his means. For example, what is the point of the country investing in Evgeni Plushenko? He opened his own academy, the tuition fee cost an incredible amount of money, thundered throughout the country and greatly demotivated children from ordinary families.
I would generally prohibit sponsoring major sports. Let them do it themselves. It’s their career, their vanity, why should we pay someone for career advancement if it has no impact on our lives?
Why does the country need champions at this price? I know it’s a stupid statement, but it just rolls off the tongue: with this money they will open more departments, improve the choice of sports and launch programs to transport talented child athletes from the regions to the capitals. This is better than the gold champions. Moreover, they are now invited to demonstrate without flags.
Olympic athletes who arrive in Paris will not be able to raise their country’s flag or pronounce its name, and new IOC conditions mean that Russian athletes must choose between participating in the Paris Olympics and the Friendship Games in Kazan. So people going to the Olympics, even if they go there in blouses and earplugs, swim in bast shoes, walk the cycling track in kokoshniks, they will still turn out to be completely unpatriotic.
The country was isolated, restrictions were imposed on us, it can be said that we are building a new multipolar world. And here are some, sorry, renegades (apostates, traitors. – socialbites.ca) Will they go to Paris, and with our money? There is no indirect benefit to the country, but direct harm. We will sit at home in a kokoshnik.
And the purpose of the Friendship Games is for the best athletes to come there, who will attract equally strong rivals and thousands of fans around the world. Why should we pay for participation in other people’s competitions to those who will go to attract competitors and spectators to Macron? Yes, we understand that they have worked and tried all their lives, this is their dream. But we work all our lives, we pay taxes, and we don’t want to waste it.
Meanwhile, there is also the issue of the dignity of our athletes who agree to compete under a neutral flag and who, in fact, will be condemned at home: this is an insult, although not everyone accepts this statement. And if politicians rush in advance and remove their strong rivals from the list, it is the dignity of their rivals who, in general, must get tired of jumping and jumping.
For example, we are traditionally leaders in gymnastics. In the fight. What qualifications do you need to have to be happy about the ban on our gymnasts and wrestlers participating in the Olympics? I’m trying to take the place of European athletes. Will they appreciate the opportunity to perform without leaders? What kind of sport is this? If you foster an approach in which politicians throw the strongest out of the race, you can get to the point where leaders are thrown out of the game without any political motivation.
For example, in some sports a mass of average and backward people can bombard strong competitors with accusations: say they don’t pay taxes, are observed engaging in inappropriate behavior, or express provocative gender views. What a space this is! You can also give medicine to the leaders. Add dope and testosterone to tea. This is a step up to the point where the intelligence services of rival countries began to shoot other people’s strong athletes in cars and shoot at them with sniper rifles.
The statement “Sports are outside politics” is often perceived as very literal. As propaganda of friendship and peace worldwide. But in reality this principle requires the exclusion of the slogan “victory at all costs”. So much so that, after all, there will be no tendency to involve politicians, security officers, intelligence officers, saboteurs in the race… Even the doping issue falls under the slogan of sports outside of politics – we are convinced that this has happened more than once. For some reason, leaders of indecent countries often become victims of doping scandals. But they are not comfortable.
Outsmart your opponent and neutralize him at all costs; what is the difference? In the beginning, the Europeans were prescribing imaginary asthma to their skiers, now they are tearing at the arteries to force the gymnastics leaders out of the race.
Ukrainian athletes were running with bleeding feet and demanding that the Russians be expelled from everywhere. Why do they need this? Is it really interesting to perform without leaders?
Or let’s take Israel. A more illustrative example. Israel is at war with Palestine and bombs almost all of its neighbors. A lawsuit was filed against Israel in The Hague. Israel, of course, goes to the Olympics and takes its traditionally strong gymnasts there. In 2022-2023, Israel advanced significantly at the European and World Championships – of course, because there were no Russians.
What will it look like from the outside? Will ordinary Israelis be happy to support their athletes, knowing that their strongest rivals have been eliminated from the race, despite the fact that Israel’s policies are condemned by the majority of the world’s population? Yes, it’s true: the majority of the world’s population lives in countries that do not support Israel. It is not possible for him to understand what is going through the minds of the Israelis who will come out jumping with joy with ribbons.
Do you remember competitions during the pandemic? There were countries that were downright happy if powerful rivals tested positive for coronavirus. And there were those who probably brought coronavirus saboteurs with them to infect their rivals.
Well, since such games have begun and the main task is to eliminate rivals at all costs, why not push the athletes aside and start a competition among the GRU in cunning and ingenuity? (Main Intelligence Directorate)CIA (US Central Intelligence Agency) and Mossad (Israeli intelligence service). The three of us will compete in the Olympics. Perhaps only the PLA General Staff would dare to participate (Chinese People’s Liberation Army) and North Korean intelligence. Let them take it all on themselves, and we’ll watch them hang a medal around the neck of the only person who made it to the Olympics. And honestly, anything is cheaper than paying hundreds of Olympians, maintaining their teams, headquarters and giving gifts to the winners.
Big sport has long turned into a competition between politicians, intelligence agencies and pharmacists. It would be nice if it led to children running to sports clubs. Otherwise, no, they will not lead, they will not run: it is expensive to do this.
The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the position of the editors.