Bercy is haunted as Russia’s gymnasts are in the grip of Putin

Simone Biles is not the only story in Olympic gymnastics, though she may be the easiest and most compelling angle for general sports reporters.

Actually, though, a bigger story is that the Russians aren’t at these Games - well, apart from a few judges and officials whose wisdom, technical knowledge and taste distinctions obviously make the sport of gymnastics hang together.  At least the FIG must think so and the IOC must agree, as they have given the judges permission to attend and officiate. If some branches of social media are to be believed, even Russian journalists have been declined accreditation at the Games - just in case they are spies.

Bercy is haunted by the ghost of Russians past and present who have filled its vertiginous, intimate rangs with passionate, noisy and highly knowledgeable followers for decade after decade of heady gymnastics.  Every great Soviet and Russian must at some point have competed here in this grassy clad arena, surrounded by cafes, and close to the Gare de Lyon, a starting point for trips to Switzerland, Italy and Barcelona, that other historic city of Olympic gymnastics, where gymnasts of the Soviet Union last convened to win the team golds under the aegis of the Commonwealth of Independent States.  Remember that for many years Russians, Ukrainians, Belarussians, Uzbekis, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Kazakhs and many more competed together as team mates and rivals.  (And all gymnastics followers remember that day in 2014 when Russian and Ukrainian athletes, draped in their national colours, together celebrated as one their medals at the European Championships, while Russian bombs fell on Donetsk for the first time but hope for peace still blazed.  This has been a sad, embittering war.)

The UKR men compete proudly here in Paris.  I want them to win medals.  Only one UKR woman will compete.  They all have to train away from home, because home has been destroyed by war.  This is the greater tragedy, and we only want Ukraine to shine here, and for peace to prevail.  But Russia will not be at the Olympics and we will miss them.  The defending champions of artistic gymnastics are not present to defend their titles.  The history of the sport is broken.  

Bercy used to smell of French cigarettes, just as Wembley Arena smelled of popcorn and the Hans Martin Schleyer Arena of bratwurst.  International arenas each have their own national aroma, but they’ve become cleansed by the health concerns of too much enjoyment.  Only the sport remains, but even that has been politically cleansed by Putin’s heinous preference for the military over the sporting.  It’s a rather self righteous ban that may eventually rob sport of a cultural dimension that has defined the Olympics for so many decades … Russia and its gymnasts.  Great tragedies of war are unrolling over Ukraine and Russia at present, and nothing but peace will ever make that better.  It is, however, a minor tragedy that the Russians can’t compete here this year.