Refugees, Syria And New Cold War Games

They always sell the Olympics as a symbol of international unity. But there is more politics in Olympics than there is in real politics. The Olympics movement, if it can be called a movement, was rocked by Cold War between the West and East for a long time. From Montreal to Los Angeles, several games were boycotted by either bloc and created acrimony between the West led by US and East led by Soviet Union. That world doesn’t exist anymore. But due the so-called New Cold War between US and Russia, there has been a lot tension in the run up to Rio 2016 and now during the Games. The attempt to ban the entire Russian team because of doping allegations was seen by the Russians as an attempt to “demonise” their country.  Though the Russians are here, participating in the games and winning medals as well, their little quarrel with the Americans has been going on openly -- and in a subtle manner too.

Thanks largely to the bitter falling out between Obama and Putin over Ukraine and Syria, athletes from both the countries have been trying to get under each others’ skin.

The Americans, who have annoyed more than one country at these Games, have gone out of their way to brand the Russians as “cheats”, despite the fact that their own record on doping is quite questionable. This created an ugly situation in the opening days of Rio 2016 when Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, who has twice been caught for banned substances, was attacked by  Lilly King of US and Chloe Tutton from the UK, who demanded to know why the Russian swimmer was not banned from these Games. But Efimova hit back at them, saying her situation was not “much different from the American star Michael Phelps”, who was snapped holding a marijuana pipe in 2009. Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, was suspended after the photo appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

Even as King and Efimova continue their war in the water pool, the officials from the two countries too are busy playing politics, making insinuations and indulging in damage control. Even at dozens of cocktails parties, where crème da la crème of the world meet every night to share drinks and gossip, one can hear a little chatter about the ongoing Cold War.   

After Yusra Mardini, an 18-year-old Syrian swimmer who made news last year after she helped save 20 Syrian refugees in the Aegean Sea, made an appearance as part of the first ever Refugee Team at the Olympics, a Russian official was hear grumbling about how the Americans “organised” the whole thing to attention to their “narrative” of Syria.  

But just a few days later, Syrian swimmer Azad al-Barazi, who is also competing here, thanked Russia for “assistance to his home country”.  Part of the Syrian national team which comprises seven athletes, Al-Barazi is the sole swimmer representing Syria in Rio. Though he was born in Saudi Arabia and has been living and training in abroad since he was six, the swimmer “considers” Syria as his home country. By thanking Russian for helping his war-torn country, Al Barazi seems to have scored an equaliser against Mardini who is not representing the country of her origin.

Maybe it was Russians who “organised” this thanking statement from the swimmer.