Russia plays prideful, but there's no doubt the Olympics ban is hurting | Bruce Berglund

"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."

"As far back as the 1950s, Soviet leaders saw the Olympics and world championships as a means of demonstrating their country's superiority. Putin has had this same aim throughout his decades in power, especially as his government has struggled to maintain infrastructure, public health and education. As political scientist Nina Kramareva explained to me, Russia has nothing concrete to offer its own people. It has to give them gold medals."

Vitaly Milonov and other Russian officials rejected international bans and accused the United States of corrupting global sporting events, arguing Russia should refuse inclusion on degrading terms. Russian commentators called recent Games immoral and questioned participation while the national team remains excluded. Moscow treats the Olympics as both showcase for athletes and an enduring political instrument dating to the 1950s. Putin pursues Olympic success to signal national strength and compensate for domestic weaknesses in infrastructure, health and education. To return to Olympic competition, Russia must overcome the fallout from the 2014 doping scandal and related international sanctions.

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