Russia Won’t Broadcast Olympics for the First Time in 40 Years… “Opening Ceremony Is Ridiculous”[파리 2024]

by times news cr

2024-07-28 16:23:37

‘Half-contest’ first since 1984 LA Olympics
Only 15 Russian athletes participate as neutrals

Russia will not broadcast the 2024 Paris Olympics, exactly 40 years after the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, a “half-games” boycotted by communist countries including the former Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.

According to AP, Russia has shown a high level of interest in the Olympics, where it has consistently performed well since the days of the former Soviet Union, but has decided not to broadcast the Paris Games.

Russian citizens can only get news about the Games online, as the country’s state-run television does not broadcast the Olympic Games.

Russia has continued to come under fierce criticism since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned its and Belarusian athletes from the Games over the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The opening ceremony held on the 26th (local time) on the Seine River in Paris was also briefly reported by the state-run media. In terms of the way the Paris Olympics were covered, critical articles were mainly about incidents, accidents, crimes, barricades blocking the city, and food shortages, rather than the games and results.

“The opening ceremony is ridiculous,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the day after the event. “The Western media didn’t like the stray dogs at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. In Paris, they laughed at the rats that were running rampant on the city streets.”

Russia also participated in this competition with only 15 individual athletes from neutral countries.

To be invited to the Games as an individual athlete from a neutral country, the athlete must first meet the qualification criteria of the respective sports federation. The athlete must then be screened for support of the Ukraine war and ties to the country’s military before being finally approved to participate.

Earlier this year, the IOC decided to allow athletes from war-torn Russia and Belarus to compete in international competitions as neutral nations.

Ukraine initially threatened to boycott international competitions if Russian and Belarusian athletes participated, but eventually allowed Ukrainian athletes to compete alongside those from both countries as long as they competed as neutrals.

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), which was suspended in October last year, has stated that it will not boycott the Paris Olympics, but the IOC is being cautious about allowing Russian athletes to participate.

The ROC, which was previously blocked from participating in international competitions, attempted to participate in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, but was ultimately unable to do so as it did not receive an invitation.

[서울=뉴시스]

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2024-07-28 16:23:37

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