Sport and Politics…
There is an old adage that sport and politics should not mix - that things like the Olympic movement should remain politically neutral. As if sport is something that can and should exist in a vacuum, separate from the rest of our day-to-day lives.
Which is a joke.
Sport and politics have been intertwined for decades. Inescapably so. Both rely entirely on people and to try to remove one from the other is to remove the humanity from both. It is impossible to separate them now and nor should we want to.
Because if sport operates in isolation, we lose those the potential for stories that can inspire change. Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics (even if I would debate the merits of a Nazi-hosted Olympics). Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 1968. Cathy Freeman in 2000. The Refugee Olympic team in 2016. North and South Korea walking out shoulder to shoulder at the Opening Ceremony in Pyeongchang 2018. I could go on…
The founder of the modern Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin, understood that sport was democratic and capable of crossing class divides. He knew that in Ancient Greece, the Olympic Games were conducted under a sacred truce, and he believed in the potential for the Games to promote peace, unity, and understanding. The whole movement was founded on that principle, relying on sport’s unique ability to bring people together. The IOC has even adapted the Olympic motto to reflect this.
Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together
During his speech at the Opening Ceremony of Tokyo 2020, IOC President Thomas Bach spoke - at length - about the principles of the Olympic movement. He emphasised the importance of solidarity, recognising that ‘without solidarity there is no peace.’ He shared a vision of the Olympics that promoted unity, diversity and respect. All key words in the Olympic movement.
The problem is that they are just that: words.
When it comes to meaningful action, the IOC does nothing.
The Olympic Charter outlines the seven fundamental principles of Olympism. When a country breaks even one of these, it should be justification for expulsion from the Games. It’s been done before - South Africa was banned for twenty years over apartheid and at least six separate countries were barred for their parts in World War I and II. Granted, it’s not a quick fix, but economic and cultural isolation (of which sport is a part) can be effective in influencing change.
1. Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.
2. The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.
3. The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world's athletes at the great sports festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings.
4. The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.
5. Recognising that sport occurs within the framework of society, sports organisations within the Olympic Movement shall have the rights and obligations of autonomy, which include freely establishing and controlling the rules of sport, determining the structure and governance of their organisations, enjoying the right of elections free from any outside influence and the responsibility for ensuring that principles of good governance be applied.
6. The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
7. Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC.
And yet…
Two years ago, Iran executed wrestler Navid Afkari for his involvement in anti-government protests. He was denied a fair trial and tortured into giving false confession. While hardly the first human rights violation committed by the Iranian government, such an act clearly went against everything the Olympic movement stands for and there were calls from across the globe that Iran be banned from the upcoming Olympics. The IOC ignored them.
Reports of ‘internment camps’ being used to ‘re-educate’ Uyghurs in China first surfaced in 2017. Human rights violations are said to range from mistreatment and forced labour, to rape and torture, all the way through to genocide. Yet China was awarded the Winter Olympics. Human rights activists called for a boycott. Many wanted to see China stripped of the Games entirely. The Games went ahead anyway.
Then there is the Black Lives Matter movement, which the IOC actively undermined by banning athletes from taking the knee on the podium - warning that anyone flouting the edict was to be stripped of their medal. In the face of serious backlash, they made a show of stepping down, but in reality nothing changed. The places they ‘allowed’ athletes to protest were not meaningful and easy to cut from broadcasts, essentially defanging any demonstration that did take place.
And now, although they have issued a statement condemning Russia for breaking the Olympic Truce, they have done nothing to sanction the Russian Olympic Committee. To be fair, they wouldn’t even properly sanction the ROC for state-sponsored doping - which, although considerably less terrible than starting a war, is actually something within their remit.
But they are not alone in their inaction. Abramovich still owns Chelsea FC, even if the ‘stewardship’ of the club has been passed to others. The International Judo Federation today suspended Vladimir Putin as honorary president… suspended… as if there are circumstances under which they may be willing to accept his return to the position. My own sport’s international federation is run by a Russian oligarch, with all the respect for the democratic process you’d expect (see here). His sole comment on the actions of his pal Putin is to recognise it might be difficult to host the European Championships in Moscow this September…
In the face of war, all of this may seem trivial. And let’s be honest, it is. Sporting sanctions are not going to make Putin back down. Economic sanctions certainly haven’t, not that those implemented by western governments have been all that meaningful.
But I don’t care if it’s pointless. I don’t care if it’s not going to make a difference.
I care that it’s still the right thing to do.
Because yes, principle is not going to win a war. But that doesn’t mean it’s something to be abandoned because it’s inconvenient.
Ultimately, we’re not really talking about politics here. We’re talking about right and wrong.
If I stood on the podium and protested against Brexit, that would be political. If I competed wearing an SNP badge, that would be political. If I used my post-competition interviews to urge people to vote for Count Binface, that would be political… I’ll let you decide which one of those is the joke.
Political views are an opinion. There is no right or wrong, just your point of view.
Human rights are not an opinion. International law is not an opinion. This is black and white. You might say it is unfair to Russian athletes, who are not responsible for their government’s actions - indeed, some have even been vocal in their opposition to those actions. But I would suggest it is a lot less fair to the athletes whose country is currently being invaded by a foreign power for the international sporting community to spout thoughts and prayers… all the while refusing to act.