Olympic Sports for Everyone
But Not Quite
Recently, there has been a growing sense of déjà vu when it comes to international sports and, in particular, the Olympic Committee. This brings to mind a quote from Ximénès Doudan: “You may not care about politics, but politics still cares about you.” Only in the case of the IOC, it needs to be rephrased: if you say you don’t engage in politics, you’re lying… because the facts say otherwise.
There is probably no one in the world who is unaware that, starting in 2022 and even earlier, Russian and Belarusian athletes will be unable to participate in the Olympic Games for political reasons. That is why the IOC’s response to the question of whether the US could be suspended from any competitions due to its actions in Venezuela sounds particularly hypocritical:
At every Olympic Games, the IOC must take into account the current political context and recent events in the world. We have always managed this successfully. The ability to bring athletes together, regardless of their background, is fundamental to the future of a values-based, truly global sport that can inspire hope in the world.
For this reason, the IOC cannot directly intervene in political issues or conflicts between countries, as this is beyond our remit. That is the domain of politics. Our role is to ensure that athletes can participate in the Olympic Games, regardless of their origin.
And if you thought that this attitude was an exception and only applied to the US, think again. Many Europeans (and ordinary Americans) are strongly opposed to Israel’s latest aggression in the Gaza Strip. In particular, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for Israel to be removed from the competition.
“We have seen European governments already stating that, while the barbarism continues, Israel cannot use any international platform to justify itself. Sports organizations must ask themselves whether it is ethical for Israel to continue participating in competitions,” Sanchez said.
The International Olympic Committee is applying the same double standards here: “The National Olympic Committees of Israel and Palestine are recognized by the IOC and have equal rights. Both comply with the Olympic Charter, and we continue to work with them to try to mitigate the impact of the current conflict on athletes,” Inside the Games quotes the IOC statement as saying.
What does this resemble? Precisely! Trump’s statements that he is virtually the only peacemaker president in US history, followed literally five minutes later, without even changing his suit, by remarks such as: we have just established true democracy in Venezuela, and the same fate (not without military intervention, sorry) awaits Greenland, Cuba, and possibly (not yet decided) Canada.
The IOC promotes sport for all… but not quite. Have they already come up with something like a yellow star for Russia and Belarus to distinguish first-class citizens (as in the Netherlands) from everyone else?!
The problem of a lack of basic logic in statements and actions haunts the Olympic Committee with enviable regularity. First, they conduct research and declare that by 2050, only 52 of 93 suitable locations will be able to host the Winter Games due to global warming. But, wait, they choose Italy, where it hasn’t snowed for several years. Technology, you say. It is improving, and today, producing snow for the entire Olympics and Paralympics is not a problem. They think so too in Italy itself. But here’s the catch: the IOC is conducting research and it turns out that hosting the games with artificial snow cover requires a large amount of energy and water, and as a result of snow production, there is also expected to be a huge release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This, of course, cannot satisfy the environmentalists on the committee. But, again, they are not doing anything about it… With global warming and significant environmental pollution, coupled with changes to the ecosystem of the proposed Olympic region, is it really impossible to simply choose countries where snow is created by nature itself?
You’ve already guessed that where there’s no logic like that, corruption is involved, right? Sadly, in Italy’s case, it’s systemic, which means it’s deeply ingrained in a significant part of the government.
But maybe this is all speculation? Not at all. In 2024–2025, raids were conducted at the offices of Fondazione Milano Cortina, investigating corruption and forgery. As a result, 74 people are currently under investigation in connection with the Olympic Village, including the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala.
The cherry on top of this strange corruption cake, or perhaps pizza, flying at breakneck speed toward the 2026 Olympics, was the scandal involving the American company Cloudflare, which, among other things, is supposed to provide cybersecurity there. It was fined €14 million for its inability to combat online piracy.
In a lengthy post on X, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince expressed his thoughts on the matter, stating that the system lacks “any judicial oversight,” as well as an appeals process and transparency, and requires services to block content not only in Italy but worldwide.
Just imagine how eagerly hackers around the world are now following the developments in this behind-the-scenes game! And those who are planning terrorist attacks at the Olympics are probably already salivating with bloodlust…
What about logistics for the 2026 Games? How can I put it… Milan and Cortina are about 400 km apart, and there is no rail connection between them, so you will probably have to choose one or the other. For example, those who go to Milan for the opening ceremony will most likely not be able to attend the closing ceremony, because it will be held in Verona, which is several hours away. Here’s what Jeff Cable, the official photographer for the US national hockey team, writes about such conveniences in his blog: “…I will be staying at a press hotel in the city center, as close as possible to the main arena. But there are two hockey arenas in Milan, located on opposite sides of the city. This means that any games taking place at the second arena will be more difficult to get to, and if there are men’s and women’s games taking place at similar times, it will be virtually impossible for me to cover both. I can only rely on public transport, because in Milan, as in Paris, there are no press buses for us.”
If you’re ready for all these adventures, go for it! But don’t forget that first you’ll have to deal with Italian airports, which aren’t designed for such a large number of travelers, and accommodation prices, which are also… low. On any trip, you should never forget about safety. In little Cortina, this is simply a must, at least because a security guard died on a construction site near the ice arena, and the mayor of the town, Gianluca Lorenz, received death threats from opponents of the Olympic facility’s construction. Getting into trouble with the local opposition is quite an adventure, so be vigilant.
It should not be forgotten that, with proper coordination among organized criminal groups, the greatest risk is terrorist attacks. Migrants are also very often used for this purpose.
Italian citizens have plenty to be unhappy about, and apart from the influx of foreigners, many with criminal pasts, the budget for the Olympics has grown to €6 billion, which has been taken from taxpayers’ pockets. All this has led to delays in funding and further down the chain. As already mentioned, climate risks have called into question the very staging of the Games. Despite all the shortcomings, Italy is still hoping for luck to make a name for itself again in the eyes of the whole world, even if the path to this is far from ideal.
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