People often say that sport and politics don’t mix, and the situation with Russia shows why. First, its athletes were banned from competing in the Olympics. Now, they have been allowed back in. We have to try to think - which is right? The real problem in the world right now is war, not sport. Some leaders think fighting is the only way to solve things. And the people who run the Olympics think that banning countries will somehow stop wars. It hasn’t worked. When Russia was not allowed to compete, gymnastics felt different. Some people thought it was less exciting. Now the Russian gymnasts are coming back, and everyone is wondering how they will manage. Can they get ready in time for the Olympics? The IOC — the organisation that runs the Olympics — first banned Russia and is now letting them return. Other sports groups are following their lead. Their rules are very strict and written in legal language. They are not talking about feelings or fairness, only about laws. There is also a...
Sport is not the problem, world politics is. Put another way, speaking as a feminist, only men could believe that the answer to any problem is to bomb, shoot, kill and maim. And, speaking as a sports afficionado, only the IOC could believe that isolating nations from the Olympic mission of peace and friendship might solve the problem of war. Is sport ‘war without the shooting’? Politics and sport do not mix, that’s for sure. Am I the only one who found gymnastics without the Russkies just a little bit flat and boring? Now we have them back and have to contemplate how their gymnasts will cope in a new age. Can they revive their motivation and get back in time to compete as a team at the Olympics? The IOC started the sanction, and now it’s attempting to stop it. They are the ones who hold the power, and their approach is mirrored by the sporting federations who are gradually letting Ru...