The Moscow Olympics were boycotted by the pro-Western countries and the Los Angeles Olympics by the pro-Russia countries. Both Olympics games never came anywhere close to being like those held in other countries where peace, brotherhood reigned. That was all sports was supposed to be, preaching peace and brotherhood by bringing the entire world together.
After those and other sporting events which were disrupted for things which have nothing to do with sports the world thought the times where politics interfered with sports were over. A few years back when the national football teams of USA and Iran were scheduled to meet the global interest were so high you’d have thought something unimaginable would happen on the soccer pitch; nothing happened. It was just another game of two national teams and that was that.
Fast forward to February-March 2022 and the speed at which things are changing in global sports leaves you breathless. It is pity to see that sport, which was supposed to be all about humanity with no ifs and buts has come to this. Russian sportsmen and women, Russian teams are being kicked out of any global sports competition you could think of. It’s like the tap breaking down and the water gushing with no one able to stop it.
A couple of days back the sanction ax fell on Abramovich, the owner of the Chelsea club. Of course one can say this move wasn’t totally unexpected; but when it came with such a bang that many have been activated. Truth be told and come to think of it English premiere League is indebted to Abramovich for being an actor in taking the game to the levels it is in now. Look, football fans care about the Chelsea owner Abramovich; the story ends there.
True he wasn’t sanctioned for owning the London club; but then the club is sanctioned not being able to sell tickets, sell and buy players and what have you. The players are in a way sanctioned because they can’t fully contemplate about their future because no one knows how things will turn out. I mean Chelsea have won almost every title conceivable the English Premiere League, they’re European and world champions.
One can just imagine what the players, the coaches and the entire staff is feeling about the sledgehammer that fell without them having the slightest idea that they too, in a way would be unsuspecting targets. They’ve given so much to their team, the EPL, the UCL and world soccer and no wonder if some feel like having been thrown under the bus. Add to this the millions of dedicated fans feel for being dealt such a hard blow for things they have nothing to do about.
Now the big question is where will global sport go from here? What will be the face of the most beautiful sports of them all, football? Even FIFA has joined into the action banning Russian national team.
Sooner or later things will cool down. Nothing might return to what it has been prior to the break out of hostilities. But at least the guns would fall silent and people will start seeing things with unbiased eyes. Then the talking and the actions would start. Governments might decide after all it’d be acceptable to use sport as a political tool and you just imagine the chaos that would ensue. A country which considers another one as an arch enemy or an equally hostile entity would say “There’s no way our national team would play with them!” What’d the world do about it!
What is worrying through the carpet-sanctioning of sports and other social interactions Russians civilians seem to be targeted. Disturbing also are the reports that Russian nationals in some corners of the world are being singled out for attacks and being verbally and physically abused.
A Russian somewhere in the US said that, they are even afraid to speak their language in public. Their businesses have been vandalized in some places. One report states that a professor in Italy was told to stop teaching Dostoyevsky. How can anyone explain that? In cases where the Western media reported about the rising anti-Russian sentiment fueled by their own 24/7 negative narratives they don’t even try to emphasize this shouldn’t be happening. They should have warned such acts as preludes to terrible days ahead.
While we’re at it, it’s also saddening to see Ukraine suffering so much and the millions of Ukrainians fleeing into neighboring countries. No barbed wires, no heavily armed border patrols and troops, no viscous dogs, no right wing hecklers and neo-Nazis shouting “Go back to where you came from!” It’s just “Welcome to our beloved county; we’ll do our best to make your stay a memorable one.” It is nice to see that hostile world has mellowed so much receiving refugees with open arms, isn’t it. From special visas to rights of being employed during their stay and other such actions to make life easier for them are welcome because they’re the expression of humanity at its best.
Unfortunately this is not about what the people were fleeing from but who they are. Despite attempts to play it down to just a few dumb lines of reportage at the end of newscasts the world is aware of what Africans are facing trying to flee from Ukraine to neighboring countries. So all the “Ukrainians come in; Africans get the hell out of here!” scenario unfolding on those borders are indications that the scourge of racism is rooted deeper than we used to think. One media person said “But they are people with blond hairs and blue eyes.” Can anyone be any more racist than this dude! Another dude says, “This not a third world Nation….This is Europe.” And these things are said on live transmissions.
One person wrote… “This, my friends, is why expecting a world without racism is impossible…if such educated and enlightened people are this blatantly racist, just imagine other people.”
So with politics having bulldozed its way into politics and given the blatant racism of recent days there’s no reason to why racism which already is spreading in the sports world goes out of hand. With the uncaring so-called ‘liberal media’ around and politicians who want to make some Attila The Hun out of themselves owning the narrative who can say anything about the future!
The Ethiopian Herald March 13/2022