(EDM) The decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban the Russian delegation from the 2018 Winter Olympics was predictable—and the indignant response in Moscow was ready. Hesitant voices of clean athletes, who pleaded to be able to partake in the international competition under a “neutral” flag, were drowned out by the long-prepared “patriotic” outcry against the alleged hostile foreign attempt to humiliate Russia (Ezhednevny Zhurnal, December 6). The IOC was described as corrupt and compelled by pressure from the United States; the meticulous work of special commissions investigating Russia’s state-supported doping efforts was ridiculed as lacking any shred of evidence; and the final verdict was rejected without much attention to its real content and message (New Times, Gazeta.ru, December 6). However, that self-righteous campaign was suddenly derailed by a casual remark from President Vladimir Putin, just a day after its loud start. He duly condemned the IOC decision as politicized but rejected the calls to boycott the Olympics, suggesting that the interests of athletes should be put first (Kommersant, December 6). While entirely sensible, this compromise stance was also quite unexpected, leading some commentators to speculate that Putin has gone “soft” and is seeking to play the role of a wise “peace-maker” (Grani.ru, December 7). […]
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