I see them badass Russkies are in the fake news again, from being ‘a threat to neighbouring NATO countries’ - when the fact is that it’s NATO countries who are threatening/provoking Russia with the ongoing military exercises on Russia’s doorstep - thru to (unproven) accusations of drug-taking for another upcoming sporting event. I wonder what bad news our so-called ‘leaders’ are burying now? But hey, all western countries need their ‘Eastasia’? Anyone who’s read 1984 will know what I mean.
It’s a carryover from the Soviet era.
I spent some time in former East Germany.
Doping in sports there was really bad. For the socialist regime, getting more medals was more important than the health of the athletes.
My sole point is that it has nothing whatsoever to do with drug-taking and doping, and that it’s realpolitiks at work.
Russia is banned from the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020, which is unfortunate. But individual athletes can come. All I’m saying is that doping in sports was endemic in the former communist block.
But what Western officialdom (in this case the Olympics Committee) in its utter stupidity - and this absolutely proves how dumb we have become - spectacularly fails to understand is that by banning athletes of a country materially invalidates all events’ achievements, the reason being that an athlete from the banned country might well have prevailed over the ‘winner’? Or should I say ‘over the gold medallist’?
It was probably endemic in all other competitor countries too?
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