the funny Russian ballet at the Beijing Olympics – Liberation

Shunned by the United States, which announced a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics, China prides itself on the visit of Vladimir Putin. But the Russian team is excluded from the competition for doping and the athletes will parade under a neutral banner.

No American, Canadian or British officials, but still beautiful people. While several Western capitals have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics because of the human rights violations perpetrated in particular against the Uyghur Muslim minority, China proudly displays the list of heads of state who have announced their coming to the opening ceremony, which will take place this Friday. Alongside autocrats like Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the most notable turnout is that of Vladimir Putin. In September, the Russian president was the first foreign leader to confirm his presence at the Beijing Olympics.

Funny detail, the strongman of the Kremlin will attend a ceremony without a Russian flag, since the country is officially excluded from the Games due to doping acts sanctioned at the end of 2020 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), astate doping system“concerned 30 sports between 2011 and 2015 and involved the Russian secret services (FSB), which replaced during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, in 2014, samples of athletes doped with urine vials”clean» previously stored.

This does not mean, however, that no Russian is taking part in the Beijing Games. Russian athletes who have not been the subject of a positive doping control during the period compete well, but without officially representing their country. As in Tokyo this summer, the 212 athletes concerned will not parade behind the Russian flag during the opening ceremony but will line up under the banner of the ROC, the Russian Olympic Committee. In the event of a gold medal, the official anthem of Russia will not be broadcast and will, as in Japan, be replaced by an extract from the Concert No. 1 pour piano of Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

The sanctions also provide for a ban on Russian political leaders, including the president, from attending competitions, except at the invitation of the head of state of the host country. What Xi Jinping did. Before going to Beijing, where he will also participate in a summit on February 4, Vladimir Putin however criticized the sanctions aimed at his country: “We consider unacceptable the practice of collective punishment for offenses committed by individuals, a practice which has recently become frequenthe told China Media Group. Despite the accumulation of evidence, the Russian authorities have always denied any institutionalized doping, accusing international sports bodies of being instruments of “anti-Russian policyof Westerners. Four years ago, in Pyeongchang, the Russian delegation, made up of 167 athletes, had won 17 medals, including two titles.