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The Nolympics
Author: TriSec
Date: 02/12/2022 11:13:49
Good Morning!
Are you aware that there is an actual Olympic games going on, even as I type this?
It is a rather difficult games for us Americans to watch. Literally - being on the opposite side of the world, all the events are taking place live approximately 13 hours AHEAD of us. In Beijing as I type this, it is 7pm this evening.
While it does give our network overlords plenty of time to edit their programming and control just what it is we're allowed to see - unless you are unemployed or still laid off from Covid, there's just not a lot of live events to watch.
I have not watched as much as one minute of these games, for the second Olympiad in a row. Not because of the time difference, mind you - but for a whole host of reasons. Most of you know that I attended a games myself. Way back in 1976, the Summer Olympics were in nearby Montreal. My mother did all the legwork, and we did spend about a week taking in all the sights and sounds. I've noted before - I don't remember too many of the events, but I was in the stadium when then Bruce Jenner won the decathalon. We saw some of the gymnastics, but due to the luck of the draw, we missed Nadia's perfect 10.
In any case, I've loved the Olympics ever since and have never missed a broadcast - until Tokyo. The Covid games were a shitshow, and I decided that they didn't interest me that much. Beijing, however, is a whole new can of worms to digest.
What's got my mystified the most is of course, Russia. In 2017, the International Olympic Committe banned Russia outright from competition, due to a lengthy history of doping and other forms of cheating. But of course there are loopholes. Russian athletes were present at the games in Brazil, South Korea, Japan, and now Beijing.
How?
Like their capitalist counterparts do to evade income taxes, the Russians have created a shell corporation under a "neutral" banner so their undoubtedly doped-up athletes can compete.
It's working - here's the latest medal table from China. You'll see that ROC at number 3 on the list.
It is a very long way from the little-known Olympic Oath that every athlete has taken since the Antwerp games of 1920.
Are you aware that there is an actual Olympic games going on, even as I type this?
It is a rather difficult games for us Americans to watch. Literally - being on the opposite side of the world, all the events are taking place live approximately 13 hours AHEAD of us. In Beijing as I type this, it is 7pm this evening.
While it does give our network overlords plenty of time to edit their programming and control just what it is we're allowed to see - unless you are unemployed or still laid off from Covid, there's just not a lot of live events to watch.
I have not watched as much as one minute of these games, for the second Olympiad in a row. Not because of the time difference, mind you - but for a whole host of reasons. Most of you know that I attended a games myself. Way back in 1976, the Summer Olympics were in nearby Montreal. My mother did all the legwork, and we did spend about a week taking in all the sights and sounds. I've noted before - I don't remember too many of the events, but I was in the stadium when then Bruce Jenner won the decathalon. We saw some of the gymnastics, but due to the luck of the draw, we missed Nadia's perfect 10.
In any case, I've loved the Olympics ever since and have never missed a broadcast - until Tokyo. The Covid games were a shitshow, and I decided that they didn't interest me that much. Beijing, however, is a whole new can of worms to digest.
What's got my mystified the most is of course, Russia. In 2017, the International Olympic Committe banned Russia outright from competition, due to a lengthy history of doping and other forms of cheating. But of course there are loopholes. Russian athletes were present at the games in Brazil, South Korea, Japan, and now Beijing.
How?
Russia received a two-year ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency for its state-sponsored doping program. Between December 17, 2020, and December 17, 2022, no athlete can represent Russia at the Olympics, Paralympics or World Championships.
The ban was originally set to last four years, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced it to two years. The state-sponsored doping program was revealed in 2016 and included at least 15 medal winners from the 2014 Olympics, held in Sochi, Russia.
Athletes competing under the ROC designation cannot wear the Russian flag, or any other national symbol, on their uniforms. If their uniforms say “Russia,†they must also include “neutral athlete†or something equivalent in the same size.
When an ROC athlete wins a gold medal, the Russian anthem will not be played. Vitalina Batsarashkina won the ROC’s first gold in the 10m pistol event during the Tokyo Olympics last summer and was serenaded by music from Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which will also play for other ROC medalists.
The ROC will be competing instead of Russia at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Russia was also under sanctions for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where athletes were considered “Olympic Athletes from Russia.â€
Unless further sanctions are levied, the traditional contingent from Russia, including its flag and anthem, will be back at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Like their capitalist counterparts do to evade income taxes, the Russians have created a shell corporation under a "neutral" banner so their undoubtedly doped-up athletes can compete.
It's working - here's the latest medal table from China. You'll see that ROC at number 3 on the list.
It is a very long way from the little-known Olympic Oath that every athlete has taken since the Antwerp games of 1920.
“We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination. We do this for the honour of our teams, in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, and to make the world a better place through sport.â€
Comments:
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Comment by 
BobR on 02/12/2022 14:30:23
BobR on 02/12/2022 14:30:23
I haven't been able to get into them either. I think the American mindset of streaming and binging on shows (along with working from home due to COVID) has essentially destroyed the water-cooler morning-after tradition of talking about what everyone watched.
Comment by 
velveeta jones on 02/12/2022 16:27:12
velveeta jones on 02/12/2022 16:27:12
meh, I watched a bit last night but it couldn't hold my attention. Just waiting for baseball season to hopefully start. 
Comment by 
Will in Chicago on 02/12/2022 19:21:26
Will in Chicago on 02/12/2022 19:21:26
I have not really followed the Olympics in a while. It seems that the spirit that the Olympic Games sought to rekindle has been lost in doping scandals, commercialism, and in me a genuine lack of interest.
Comment by 
Raine on 02/12/2022 19:47:45
Raine on 02/12/2022 19:47:45
I'm with Tri in that the idea of the Olympics has been diluted. There should be no ROC medals. Like FIFA, idealism has been put aside for money instead of sportsmanship.
American Media has been what it always was when it comes to broadcasting this event. I can remember this sort of thing going back to Lake Placid. It was guarenteed to be complicated as media has become more complicated.
The oath, that is the thing. It seems that very oath was politicized years ago and it is on full view.
The ROC should not exist, full stop.
American Media has been what it always was when it comes to broadcasting this event. I can remember this sort of thing going back to Lake Placid. It was guarenteed to be complicated as media has become more complicated.
The oath, that is the thing. It seems that very oath was politicized years ago and it is on full view.
The ROC should not exist, full stop.
Comment by Raine on 02/12/2022 19:59:32
To put a finer point on it, as expressed above -- ROC was supposed to be a punishment.
it wasn't. It was the equivalent of a stern warning with a promise of punishment. Russia called the bluff and never felt the consequences of its actions.
and it may happen again with the ROC doping issues with its team Ice Skating. She may be 15 but Kamila Valieva failed her drug test back in December. She should not have been allowed to compete, period. The IOC is corrupt (and likely influenced by Russia and China) and beholden to international media.
Raine on 02/12/2022 19:59:32
Quote by Raine:
I'm with Tri in that the idea of the Olympics has been diluted. There should be no ROC medals. Like FIFA, idealism has been put aside for money instead of sportsmanship.
American Media has been what it always was when it comes to broadcasting this event. I can remember this sort of thing going back to Lake Placid. It was guarenteed to be complicated as media has become more complicated.
The oath, that is the thing. It seems that very oath was politicized years ago and it is on full view.
The ROC should not exist, full stop.
it wasn't. It was the equivalent of a stern warning with a promise of punishment. Russia called the bluff and never felt the consequences of its actions.
and it may happen again with the ROC doping issues with its team Ice Skating. She may be 15 but Kamila Valieva failed her drug test back in December. She should not have been allowed to compete, period. The IOC is corrupt (and likely influenced by Russia and China) and beholden to international media.
According to the ITA, Valieva was tested on Dec. 25 during the Russian national championships. Her sample was not run until Feb. 7, when it came back positive. In the meantime, she had competed in and helped win the team competition at the Olympics. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency automatically suspended her provisionally. She requested a hearing; the next day, RUSADA unsuspended her.
That’s right: The Russian Anti-Doping Agency, which, according to the 2016 McLaren Report, spent much of the aughts operating as the Russian Pro-Doping Agency, identified that a Russian athlete had doped, then unilaterally announced that actually, she hadn’t.
The International Olympic Committee—and let’s make sure not to elide its responsibility in all this—announced on Friday that it would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The International Skating Union announced that it would appeal as well, as did WADA. About the only organization left to join the appeal is NATO. Valieva is next scheduled to compete on Tuesday in the women’s individual event; this weekend’s CAS hearing will determine if she can participate. She is the heavy favorite for gold.