JRL NEWSWATCH: “Moscow plans its own mini-Olympics. Will Russians be satisfied?” – Christian Science Monitor
“As the West has isolated Russia, Moscow has worked fervently to create alternatives to global commodities. But when it comes to Olympic-level athletic competitions, the Kremlin’s proxies may not pass muster with the Russian public.”
“… In September, just a month after the 2024 Paris Olympics, Russia will launch the World Friendship Games, a Soviet-inspired extravaganza that looks like a full-scale substitute games meant to defy the International Olympic Committee’s ban. Russian officials insist that it isn’t intended to replace the Olympics, but rather that Russian, Belarusian, and other voluntary international participants will compete in many Olympic categories for large cash prizes and other honors. Nonetheless, Moscow’s decision to launch these games and several other brand-new international sporting events has generated controversy in Russia, drawn condemnation from the IOC, and offered a select number of Russian athletes a dubious choice between taking part in these patriotic events or trying to compete in Paris as ‘neutral’ or independent contestants. …”