Mere weeks later, Bach’s statement already sounds like the last gasp of an outmoded ideal. For many years, the IOC and other governing bodies of world sport have insisted their competitions remain separate from international politics. But in many cases, this supposed neutrality ended up serving the interests of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who has used sports to solidify his position at home and present himself as a respectable world leader, even while attacking Russia’s neighbors.
Only now, in the aftermath of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, are international sports…
