Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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The IOC has allowed the Russian Olympic Committee back into the fold (though various other restrictions are still lurking around). The reason, according to the IOC, is that the ROC agreed not to select athletes from the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
This is, as both sides recognise, something of a sop since precious view actual individual sportspersons are affected by this but politically it is somewhat seismic because the Russian constitution states these areas are part of Russia. Technically the ROC is committing treason.
Now of course they did it with Putin's consent--possibly even at his urging--but it does open up further avenues. For example, the IOC could let it be known in Kremlin circles that they would be obliged if official Russian mouthpieces would not bang on about the IOC being a NATO catspaw and stuff like that.
As the 2028 Los Angeles Games near--and full Russian involvement would be regarded as heaven-sent by Trump and the TV networks as well as Russia--the IOC might politely ask Putin to make it clear to his people just why they have been excluded from international sport since 2022.
I doubt he could get those words past his lips but we can expect some unusual developments from that direction. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the ending of the war might somehow get into the mix.
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