Russia keeps its word. Excluded from the international sports movement since the start of the conflict in Ukraine at the end of last February, it organizes its own events. In large scale. With foreign participation that is anything but anecdotal.
Dmitry Chernyshenko, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister – known in the Olympic movement for having chaired the organizing committee for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games – explained this last week: the city of Kazan, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan (photo above), will host the second edition of the Friendship Games in November.
The event will be held from November 10 to 25. He could have opted for a more aquatic name, and therefore significantly less multi-sport, the Games in question turning out to be a swimming and diving competition. But participation promises to be massive, with athletes from more than 20 countries.
The initiative is not new. A first edition of the Friendship Games took place during the summer (July 26-August 3), already in Kazan. It brought together swimmers and divers from 16 countries, including Belarus, also excluded from the Olympic movement, Algeria, Armenia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Serbia, Syria, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Ecuador and South Africa.
The competition did not reach supersonic levels, but it was marked by the fall of a Russian record, broken in the 400m medley by the young Ilya Borodin, 4 years old. According to Vladimir Salnikov, the president of the Russian Swimming Federation, it should be approved by FINA. The former middle distance legend explained it: the Russian federation is still recognized by the international body, and the competitions gave rise to anti-doping controls supervised by RUSADA.
More than three months after this first test, Russia is at it again. This time, foreign participation should gain in depth. Dmitry Chernyshenko announces the presence of athletes from 23 countries. Which ? Mystery. But they could belong to the two international entities of which Russia is at the origin: the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SOC), and the BRICS group, an acronym for its five member nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). South).
« On behalf of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, we maintain the level of competitive activity of our athletes, announced Dmitry Chernyshenko in an official statement. The government has developed new formats for competitions in various sports, with the participation of representatives of friendly countries. Compared to the first stage of the Friendship Games, in July-August, the number of participating countries will increase next month from 16 to 23"
The mobilization of the Russian authorities is intended to be political. The statements of Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin do not lie. According to him, the Friendship Games allow us to “ bring athletes together and highlight our commitment to the principles of fair sport. » Known chorus.
The former president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) continues: “ We are always in favor of international consolidation in the field of sports and we will continue to organize competitions of this format, as we see a growing interest from athletes from other countries"
Let's admit. But the event is mainly motivated by more directly sporting reasons. With less than two years until the Paris 2024 Games, Russian athletes need competitions. Unable to travel, they speak at home. And count on the “ friendly countries » to serve as competition for them.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), repeats it in all circumstances: athletes must be ready to resume the course of their international careers. When ? The answer remains unclear. It is in the hands of the IOC.
For several months, Thomas Bach has been moving backwards on the Russian question. The German leader assured that the body “ discuss and work » to a return of Russian athletes in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Games. But he recently recognized that the time had not yet come to lift the sanctions.
