From Portugal to Romania, fear, funding pressure, and rule-bending are shutting young competitors out in the name of \u2018fairness\u2019<\/p>\n
Was I wrong? I supported the suspension of Russian clubs and teams from international football and rugby competition, even though I saw the cost meted out to players, clubs, fans, and people who work tirelessly to promote both sports at the grassroots level.
\nMy reasoning was solid. It was about protecting athletes, officials, and spectators first. It\u2019s why I believe Israel should also face a time-out, because it has to be safety first. However, a second total and utter act of cowardice by EU sports officials in under a week has my brain doing cartwheels.
\nLast week, it was Romanian rhythmic gymnastic event organizers who were breaking the rules and discriminating against young Russian girls, simply for being Russian. This week, Portuguese trampolining tyrants have doubled down to not just ignore, but egregiously breach the decision of World Gymnastics (gymnastics\u2019 global governing body) to have Russia and Belarus treated equally with other nations.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
No flag, no anthem, no shame: The war on Russian sport just found its ugliest stage yet<\/p>\n
The Portuguese officials told Russia that they would \u201cnot be able to ensure the Russian team\u2019s participation with national symbols [flag and anthem],\u201d Aleksey Ryzhkov, the head coach of the Russian Trampoline team, said in a statement on Wednesday.
\nHe added that the organizers offered the chance for his team to \u201ccompete as neutral athletes,\u201d this after Russia competed at four international events in Switzerland, China, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, since World Gymnastics restored Russian parity with all other nations on May 17 this year. Obviously, Russia pulled out.
\nThe fourth stage of the FIG Trampoline World Cup takes place July 4-5 in Coimbra, Portugal. On the start list, Russian and Belarusian athletes have their country names listed after them, all good. In April, in Portimao, Portugal, both sets of athletes competed as \u2018Authorized Neutral Athletes\u2019 and took home almost half the medals on offer, 41 of 93. With their haul including 22 golds, there were mutterings of discontent from other national teams.
\n\u201cIt turned feral [the atmosphere] towards the end and I was told by a colleague there was a meeting of Brits [British officials] and Ukrainians,\u201d an Irish official said on condition of anonymity.
\nThe official believes that Russia might have acted hastily in withdrawing from this week\u2019s competition and should have forced the organizers hand, as they have far more allies in the community than is reported.
\n\u201cGeorgians, Azerbaijanis, even Germans, they were all receptive and fine,\u201d the Irish official said, \u201cgiven that China and other Asian teams will be there, any funny business would be stamped out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
The truth about World Cup visas nobody wants to hear<\/p>\n
Try as I want to believe that the organizers would play fair, obey the rules, and treat the Russian athletes with respect, the \u201cferal\u201d atmosphere in the highest echelons of the EU is making it very difficult for local organizing committees in Portugal, Romania, and other outliers to do what\u2019s right for sports.
\nIt comes down to money. Sponsors, local councils, government, they are terrified of being proscribed on an individual and communal level as the EU can easily turn off funding or business access. Gymnastics is a very niche sport, heavily dependent on financial and other support from governments, topped up by sponsors. Ukraine has screeched long and loud about the presence of Russians in sports, and dragging others into the mess. Instead of using sports as a forum for dialogue and community, they, and some of their most ardent backers like the UK, seem hell-bent on, well, dragging sports down to hell.
\nIt\u2019s easy and convenient to scapegoat the local organizers or lambaste Russian officials for refusing to travel with guarantees that the rules be applied equally to Russians, Ukrainians, Irish, and everyone else. But, escaping the public glare are those who have, yet again, used the threat of money and worse to punish athletes who simply want to compete. As a person who grew up with sports as the center of my being, I know that those inflicting the pain right now on a group of young men and women care nothing about sports, and worse, they care nothing about humanity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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