Russia's Paris participation gives IOC moral, political and legal headache

Well at least it is in France and not somewhere else because we all know that the French know how to protest the ^&*% out of things. I may travel to join in the protests...

Russia and its ally Belarus, which allowed its territory to be used as a launchpad when Moscow invaded Ukraine last February, have been banned from most Olympic sports at the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since the conflict began.

After the IOC said it was examining a "pathway" for athletes from the two countries to compete in Paris, perhaps under a neutral flag, Ukraine, supported by the Baltic nations and Poland, demanded their total exclusion.

The IOC has said it wants to "protect the integrity" of the competition and allow athletes to compete, as long as they have not "actively supported the war in Ukraine".

On Tuesday, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the head of Russia's Olympic Committee, tried to turn the "pathway" into total access, saying "Russians must participate exactly on the same conditions as all other athletes."

The way the athlete feels about his/her country’s leadership (and what they’re doing) doesn’t really matter imho…, at the end of the day, they’re still representing their country, the same country responsible for the inexplicable invasion of another country and for the killing of thousands of innocent people…; even if they compete under the flag of the IOC or a neutral flag, their nationality doesn’t change…; and if they win, their name will always be associated with Russia, which will benefit from the athlete’s achievements. Russia needs to be punished and this is part of the punishment…; this ain’t rocket science.

Make a stand and stick to it.

Tell the Russians to pound sand just like the world told S. Africa over Aparteid.

There is politics and then there is this.

And "this" (plus Russia's rampant dopping as an instrument of state policy) is more than enough to exclude them from all organized international sports competitions.

Mini-me loves the attention that sports success gives his dictatorial regieme. Deny him that attention and shame him. It won't afftect him directly, of course. But when the Russian populace gets more evidence that they are international pariahs because of him, they just might finally get the courage to show him the door (or better yet, a window.)

I say solve this already. Make em all team "Free Ukraine" and we can start talking