You don’t think that reminding folks that Russia is no longer alone in its Olympic season war-mongering is ok? I’m perfectly fine with criticism and being an admin has nothing to do with where I stand on this, so criticize away. I’ve been anti-Russian since well before the Ukraine invasion (despite having rooted for some Russian skaters in the past) and I didn’t want any of them at the Olys. I’m just being sensitive to a charge of hypocrisy, as an American.
The Minab bombing happened during the Olympic truce that was hence breached (it was breached as soon as Iran was attacked). In the Olympic charter, military attacks during the Olympic truce are a cause of exclusion. Russia was banned for such a breach, America is not. Something is wrong here. Either Russia should never have been banned, either the US should be. That's what @PRlady's post made me think of. And this doesn't belong to PI because it's tightly linked to the original subject.
As has been pointed out MANY times during the past 4 years since Russia was banned for invading Ukraine, this was the THIRD time in a span of 15 years that Russia violated the Olympic Truce.
Ah, yes, the rules are black & white & there's absolutely no nuance or ability to measure the degree of the violation before the rules MUST be applied. Are we all five suddenly?
and play if for all the comments saying that the ban on Russia is unfair. Maybe go tell that to the Ukrainians? Or to clean athletes? Russia has been coddled.Karen, a lot of people here were talking everyone else down reiterating over and over that because the 2022 Russia incident was during the Olympic truce, that is the sole reason why they were banned. I’ll pull the receipts of those threads and the posters saying the same thing over and over.
is making me all nostalgic. 
You're talking to someone who's hold dual citizenship for 62 years and who counts many Jewish ancestors and relatives, some living in Israël. Many countries breached the Olympic truce and were not sanctionned. That doesn't mean it makes it OK to go on. I've never attacked you personally so I ask you to do the same and to not accuse me of any preposterous anti-any nation feelings. You don't agree with what I wrote? Fine with me. But keep it civil and put a leash on that agressivness I certainly don't deserve. Thank you in advance. I happen to have you as one of my fave FSU posters although we have diametrically opposed opinions on at least one subject that I would never bring to you out of respect. Again I'm entitled to the same respect in return.
I apologize and am sorry you thought this was a personal attack. It wasn't.
A provision for what? Open the floodgates and allow the top 5 at Nationals all two events?
Precisely. And, Karen is wrong about all the Russian women losing their quads after puberty. Some do. Some don't. And some don't have them but are competitive with the top skaters (Anna Frolova for example). But, they'll have their chance to compete just like everybody else. And, don't think Valieva won't be in international competition. She's free to compete and is on the senior team for the Moscow fed. She looks strong. So, why don't you all just wait for the test skates. Juniors at the end of the month then the seniors. These will determine who gets to go to a challenger. Then you can clutch your pearls.
Valieva will not be in international competition as long as Russians are required to compete as AINs. There is no way she would pass any AIN review since she served as one of Putin's main propaganda puppets for at least two years following the invasion. She has a video of her with Putin pinned to one of her social media accounts still.
It was hard not to take it as such as you said "you". You lumped me up with anti-American and anti-Israël (aka antisemite) people and I took it badly because I'm really not. For personal reasons, one of them being family heritage, it was deeply insulting to me. I'd react the same to the IOC and ISU decisions if it was Papoua New Guinea, Mozambique, or even France that were concerned. I also make a difference between the people and the government of a country. But OK, apologize happily accepted.It is but finding it unfair is not being a Russia apologist. At least, I am not. Russia, as a political entity, is inexcusable both for its military attacks and the way it treats its athletes.
I fully agree they should have been banned before. Citing the reason for the recent ban doesn't mean I think that there was no reason before.
Not that it excuses the IOC sudden new concern for breach of OT, but I assume it's very difficult to address state-sponsored doping. It's an internal problem within a sovereign state. How do you get in there besides testing athletes AND being ahead of masking agents, something WADA can't keep up with? All in all, banning Russia from international competitions for 4 years doesn't solve the problem. For all we know, Russian athletes may still be doped up to their eyeballs.
I think the main concern of IOC and ISU is business and money. They want more viewers, more people attending competitions. The return of Russians skaters will be a drawing card for the next seasons.
They killed over 100 children in an inexcusable "mistake." That's pretty horrendous to me and I'd be fine with the US being banned from IOC-controlled sports for a while.
No. Russia and Belarus were banned illegally. When something illegal is done, you go back to where it was to restore the justice. Both countries must get back their flags, anthems, officials, etc. and all quotas they had before banning. The athletes who had the right for GP assignments must get them back. Based on the fact that other athletes illegally couldn't compete last season to earn GP assignments, some host picks should be given to them. I would go with one in each segment for the entire GP, not for each GP. That is what a special GP provision is. The rule for returnees is not applicable. They changed it from 10 to 4 years to avoid individual lawsuits from athletes due to generic terms in the rule. But it's not applicable for anyone except returnees.
Lol. I just see how ISU denies her an AIN status for having video with Putin. The internet will be flooded with videos/pictures of athletes with countries' leaders who started wars. Guess what country will be in the lead. Right, USA. Even dumb ISU will not go that straight road to CAS to lose. You are desperate.
Seriously people, which one of you let the doors of the funny farm unlocked?? Now we'll get in trouble with all the neighborhood because the troll is running around freely and peeing and pooping in everyone's garden !
That dopping ban expired. It's juridically irrelevant anymore.Russia had no flag or anthem prior to them being banned because of their blatant state sponsored doping so they are going back to where they were before the ban mostly.
Don’t think I have seen any other active skaters so knee deep in politics as Valieva. Pretty sure she has promoted the military youth movement and the kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
Why should she. She has the same diagnosis as Biles, made it herself a public knowledge. It's safe to assume she has the same TUE as Biles because that is how their diagnosis is treated. It's impossible to test positive if you have TUE. Biles proved in Tokyo that without her light meth she can't really compete. If the OC 2026 had been in Tokyo, Alysa might have had the same "success" as Biles. They are both fakes.
