Shame on the Sports World for Supporting Putin for Decades

Vladimir Putin has essentially been running Russia since 1999.  An evil but shrewd dictator, Putin knew that one way to gain legitimacy and stature on a world stage and in the eyes of his citizenry was to bring major sports competitions to Russia for world-class events and to bring sponsorship deals worldwide to his oligarchs.  Sadly, when money talks, the international sports world listens. 

In the summer of 2007, Russia won the bid to host the 2014 winter games.  While there existed a Socchi Olympic Committee, Putin ran the committee from Moscow as a friend involved in the Olympics reported to me back in 2011 when I spoke with her about working at the games.  I chose to work Super Bowl XLVIII in my home state of New Jersey on February 2, 2014, instead, so I was not there to see the unfinished hotel rooms or eat the mystery meat served to the media at the games.

And somehow Russia was awarded the games despite a number of problems with Russia serving as host, most notably, their 2008 invasion and takeover of South Ossetia and the 2014 takeover of Crimea.  Those two events occurred after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the games to Russia, but there were other issues prior to the Committee’s decision.

The IOC was well aware that Russia had a long history of human rights violations that were still an issue in Putin’s country.  But somehow the IOC chose to overlook Russia’s sordid history and Putin’s equally abhorrent present.  Another major issue was the climate; with an average February temperature of 46.9° Fahrenheit and a humid subtropical climate, Sochi became the warmest city to host a Winter Olympic Games.

To top it all off, many Russian athletes in the 2014 Socchi games were found to have been part of a doping scandal from 2011-2015, a scandal involving hundreds of athletes.  The IOC then revoked many medals (though some were reinstated).  Incredibly, Russia was not banned from the 2016 games and in 2018, Russian athletes were permitted to compete as “Olympic Athletes from Russia.”  Some of those athletes failed drug tests after medaling.  As a result, Russia was banned from competition for the next four years.

Stunningly, the IOC then decided Russian athletes could compete as members of the “Russian Olympic Committee” in last months 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.  To add to the absurdity, Putin was permitted to attend the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing.  Clearly Russia has suffered no penalty for a decade of well-documented, widespread cheating.

Clearly the International Olympic Committee has provided an international stage for Putin and an opportunity to raise his stature in Russia.  And shame on them for doing so for the last two decades.  At this point, it’s clear that as long as Putin is running Russia, Russian athletes will cheat.  It is this author’s opinion that harsh punishment is absolutely deserved.  Russia and Russian athletes should be completely banned from competing in the Olympic games for the next 8 years – two summer games and two winter games – and Russia should be banned from hosting Olympic games for at least 20 years.

The IOC, however, is not the only major sports governing body to provide Putin with an international platform.  In 2018, FIFA allowed Russia to host the FIFA World Cup, soccer’s biggest event, held every four years.

The process to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup tournaments began in 2008 with a January 2009 filing deadline.  Somehow Russia was awarded the 2018 tournament while Qatar – a nation about as large as Rhode Island – was given the 2022 games.  The process was so corrupt that disgraced FIFA President Sepp Blatter and his team have subsequently been banned from any involvement in FIFA and while international investigations were initiated, somehow Blatter and company have avoided prosecution.

Once again, Russia’s dismal track record in human rights was overlooked by an international organization who claims to have equality and social justice as part of its mission.  Same for Qatar, who, as June 2021, had recorded at least 6,500 deaths among immigrant laborers building infrastructure for the Qatar World Cup, which will be held late this year.

Russia has also gotten Formula One to compete in Putin’s Russia, announcing in 2010 the debut of the Russian Grand Prix, which began with its inaugural race in 2014.  Formula One recently patted itself on the back for canceling the 2022 Russian Grand Prix after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

In fact, many sports leagues and teams have been praised for canceling contracts with Russian sponsors in the last week, but the question needs to be asked, why were Russian oligarchs allowed to purchase the Brooklyn Nets and Chelsea Football Club?  Why was Russian airline Aeroflot the presenting sponsor of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019?  Why did the IOC, F1 and FIFA all award competitions to Putin when he’s been a tyrant for over two decades? 

The answer is easy.  Money.  Sports governing bodies and teams boast human rights activism but look the other way when a tyrant is throwing cash their way.  That’s why the NBA continues to bow to the whims of the Chinese Communist Party, going as far as silencing a franchise owner who showed support for a free Hong Kong.

So instead of allowing sports figures to dislocate their shoulders patting themselves on the back this past week, it’s time for the media to ask them why they’ve been doing business with Putin – and legitimizing him on a world stage – for decades.