Russian athletes - where do you stand?

[Contrarian]

In terms of the Russian athletes participating in the Olympics, where do you stand? 

a) Allow them to participate but under no flag. 

b) Allow them to participate with a full flag, like it was a couple of years ago. 

c) Do not allow them to participate at all. 

Myself, I am still thinking about my view. I don't think b) is an option for me.

The CBC article below gave me this random idea to start a poll: 
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/russia-sports-ban-one-year-1.6756198

Edited February 23 by Contrarian
design

[Aristides]

I voted but it wasn't accepted. I voted boot them all.

[Contrarian]

Just now, Aristides said:

I voted but it wasn't accepted. I voted boot them all.

Yes, there is no vote with that choice, yet. Only 1 vote for Allow them to participate but under no flag.

[Moonlight Graham]

Politics shouldnt enter into the decision.

I'm much more concerned about Russia's history of state- sponsored cheating by athletes.

[Perspektiv]

Politics shouldn't be at play here. I however, feel the Russian flag shouldn't be what they are playing for, as you would turn the situation political by having athletes protest your being there.

I feel they should be allowed to compete, however.

[Infidel Dog]

Russian might be part of the Ukraine by 20204. 

[Moonbox]

Boot them.  No participation.  Maybe then they'll realize there's something awry. 

The Chinese didn't drop zero-COVID until all their people saw stadiums packed with fans during the World Cup.  

[-TSS-]

If Russia is allowed to participate then no doubt all western countries would boycott. 

However, it kind of tells you that the sanctions don't work if the main gripe is being excluded from international sport. That genuinely pisses them off immensely. 

If the sanctions had the desired effect sport would be absolutely trivial and furthest from the mind. 

[LonelyLawson]

Everyone is responsible for the actions of their country. 
If we live in a civil society, then each of us should be responsible for the activities of the state whose government was elected by its citizens. 
Therefore, I think that in the current circumstances, Russian athletes should not participate in international competitions.

[Contrarian]

Will go for a) allow them to participate but under no flag. 

 for various reasons, 2 main ones: 

1. I don't agree with someone working their entire life to excel in a career and then being pushed aside just because the leader is a lunatic. The same leader was embraced before by political leaders in Western Europe 1.5 years ago. It is true though, that Russian athletes are not saints. Cheaters.  When Putin started talking first about drug addicts in Ukraine, I thought to myself, he knows a lot about that from his Olympics team. 

2. Zelenskyy is running his mouth again where he is not supposed to in my view. The Olympics has a committee and there is a process. They don't act at the command from Kyiv as much as we all sympathize with their situation. Focus on the battlefield my friend and ask for weaponry, don't worry about sports. I understand there are some radicals around Zelenskyy too so he needs to appease them, but since when Kyiv dictates to the West how to run things in terms of sports?

• The reason the West is standing is that it recognizes, I think anyways, that we are willing to pay the short-term penalties for long-term results, even if that means letting Russians compete with no flag.
  
  Who voted for b), tovarich was active or one of his soldiers, the one with the big ears?! 😄

Edited February 23 by Contrarian

[Dougie93]

there was a National Socialist Olympics

and a Soviet Olympics

and a Chinese Communist Olympics

as Hitler, Stalin & Mao were permitted to host the Olympics

I cant come up with any logically consistent justification to exclude the Orthodox Russians

[Dougie93]

in 1987, the Soviets launched Operation Atrina

Mr. Ivan deployed an entire division of Project 671RTMK Shchuka-A  NATO Reporting Name Victor III SSN's

they evaded SOSUS and threw off their tails with special decoy torpedoes near Gibraltar

then they crossed the Atlantic to hunt our SSBN's in the Sargasso Sea off Bermuda

this was nothing short of pre-deployment for the Third World War, preparation for a counterforce first strike

the United States Navy was hunting the Soviet submarines at the brink of war

President Reagan ordered multiple Carrier Battle Groups to sea at DEFCON 3

yet this did not stop us from hosting them at Copps Colosseum in Hamilton

deploying Gretzky & Lemieux 

to defeat them were it really counted

on the ice; the ultimate Canadian battlefield

[Aristides]

This is a country that doped a 15 year old skater. 

[-TSS-]

Russians can have their own Olympics with their best buddies Belarus, Kazakstan and Iran.