On March 3, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that all athletes from Russia and Belarus would be barred from competing at the 2022 Paralympics. The decision came less than a day after the IPC announced it was permitting athletes from both countries to compete as neutrals. The IPC’s ban, however, felt forced and hollow.
Make no mistake; it was athlete resistance that forced the IPC to abandon its tolerance of Russia and Belarus. Advocacy groups like Global Athlete and current and former Paralympic and Olympic athletes pressed the IPC to take a stronger stance against Russia and Belarus by joining the majority of teams, leagues and federations in an international sporting boycott.
According to IPC president Andrew Parsons, Russian and Belarusian athletes were not banned for their respective nations’ roles in the outrageous and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, but rather to preserve “the long-term health and survival of the Paralympic Movement.”
In fact, the IPC press release contained not a single reference to Ukraine. Parsons’s comments at the opening ceremonies likewise excluded the words Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
The IPC’s actions aren’t all that surprising. After all, when Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014, IPC head of communications Craig Spence told CBC:
“We’re quite happy to leave the politics to the politicians; we’re competing as we planned.… We don’t want global politics to overshadow what we hope will be a fantastic sporting event.”
But people’s lives can’t be reduced to mere politics and global sporting events can, and do, benefit the authoritarian and totalitarian regimes that play host. China, which was criticized for using the Olympics to obscure human rights abuses, views the recent games as an economic boon. A spokesman for Beijing told the New York Times that the Winter Olympics “brought positive economic benefits and created new sources of growth for the local economy.”
Beyond the IPC’s underwhelming response, the broader sporting landscape is even more complicated, ranging from complete inaction to expulsion, illustrating the politically charged nature of international sport in the 21st century.
International Olympic Committee fails to act … again
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was quick to condemn Putin and urge the international sports federations to take action, but has refused to take any meaningful action itself. As of the writing of this article, the IOC has not removed the Russian Olympic Committee from the Olympic Movement. Instead, it’s urged international federation events to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, passing the responsibility for action off to others. Such a move is unsurprising, given the IOC’s past tolerance for Russian abuses.
In 2008, Putin invaded neighbouring Georgia before and during the Beijing Summer Olympics, sparking a conflict that killed hundreds and displaced thousands. Instead of tossing Russia out of the Games for violating the Olympic Truce, the IOC celebrated the nation, with IOC spokesperson Giselle Davies arguing that the presence of both Russia and Georgia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics reflected the “Olympic spirit and the value of the Games.”
Russia’s invasion of Georgia was a calculated move by Putin, who used the grand and controversial 2008 Beijing Olympics to distract global attention from his assault. He had little need to fret about IOC sanctions, as Russia was already scheduled to host the 2014 Sochi Olympics. IOC criticism of his regime would be tantamount to admitting Sochi was unfit to host. When Putin invaded Ukraine shortly after the Sochi Olympics, violating the truce for the second time in six years, the IOC once again failed to act.
UEFA and FIFA put soccer bans on Russia
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) took swift action a day after the Russian invasion began, moving the Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris. UEFA also promptly initiated steps to remove Russian government-owned gas giant Gazprom as a sponsor. The move was finalized on Feb. 28, axing Gazprom’s roughly US$40-million deal with the European soccer authorities. The same day, UEFA ejected Spartak Moscow from the Europa League, the second-tier of European championship soccer.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has also severed ties with Russia. On Feb. 27, FIFA ruled that Russia’s national team could compete in World Cup qualifiers, but only as the Football Union of Russia and only if they refrained from displaying the flag or playing the national anthem. The following day, after facing a barrage of complaints, FIFA banned the nation from World Cup competition entirely.
Independent clubs have also taken action. FC Schalke 04, which plays in the second division of Germany’s Bundesliga, removed Putin’s ally Matthias Warnig from the team’s board and cancelled its sponsorship deal with Gazprom. England’s Manchester United has also ended its six-year, US$53.7 million sponsorship agreement with Russia’s state-owned airline Aeroflot, with 18 months remaining in the deal.
Red Star Belgrade is still wearing their Gazprom sponsorship prominently on their jerseys, but that’s hardly a surprise. Serbia is the only European nation, other than Belarus, to not sanction Russia for its assault on Ukraine.
Sport matters
Although the IOC and FIFA represent the grandest of the contemporary mega events, the sporting world has seen a broader array of action against Putin and Russia. Following the IOC’s call for international sport federations to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus, most have complied, but some took longer than others. The International Gymnastics Federation (IGF) permitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in Doha last week, providing Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak the opportunity to stand on the podium with a “Z” — a symbol of support for Putin’s war — affixed to his chest. As of March 7, the IGF has now banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes.
But it’s not just the federations taking action. Formula 1 has cancelled its Russian Grand Prix and terminated the race going forward. All four major professional boxing bodies have barred championship contests in Russia. Finnish ice hockey club Jokerit Helsinki has withdrawn from the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League playoffs in protest of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The old claim that sports exist in a sort of bubble, beyond the reach of politics, has seemingly been condemned to the dumpster of historical myth and folly. It is time for organizations like the IPC to stop lamenting the intersection of sport and politics, and instead accept this well-established reality going forward, conducting their affairs accordingly. There must be no further reversals.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
