Under-the-Rug Wrestling Is an Olympic Sport

The disqualification of Russian and Ukrainian women skiers, followed by the threat of Leonid Tiagachev, president of the Russian National Olympic Committee, that the Russian national team might pull out of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, has compelled many to say that, instead of reviving the practice of Olympic reconciliation, the games have touched off a political scandal.

The national teams of Russia and Ukraine were disqualified after an excessive level of hemoglobin was found in the blood of Russian cross-country skier Larisa Lazutina and Ukrainian Iryna Taranenko- Terelia during the doping test before the race. Neither the Russian nor our teams had enough time to find replacements for Lazutina and Terelia. Moreover, according to Ukrainian National Olympic Committee President Ivan Fedorenko, the official record says that the two national teams “did not participate in the competition,” while the display board indicated that our team had started. As a result, the relay race was won by the Germans. Mr. Fedorenko said he was surprised at what the skiing race organizers did. Interfax was also told at the Ukrainian NOC’s press service that the Ukrainian delegation does not plan to lodge an official protest over the incident.

Conversely, the Russians are not too shy to express their protest. President Vladimir Putin said the International Olympic Committee’s new leadership “must spoil before it spins well” and hinted diplomatically that “the process of excessive commercialization of the Olympic movement contradicts Olympic principles.” The Russians have ample grounds to speak about the tendencies of these contradictions. There are too many scandals in figure skating: the disowned victory of Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, the second place of Iryna Slutskaya, and the second place of Irina Lobacheva and Illia Averbukh. Meanwhile, many think, not only in Russia, that Russian figure skaters were undeservedly passed over. In freestyle skiing, Russian Olga Koroleva, who had kept a considerable lead after the first attempt, finished only fourth. The women skiers affair became the last straw for the Russian NOC. Leonid Tiagachev said he saw two ways to solve the conflict: either the Russian skiers are issued a second set of gold medals, as was done in the case of figure skaters, or the relay race be held again. Should the conflict not be settled, Tiagachev has the following option: Russia, Finland, South Korea, China, and Ukraine, whose national teams were discriminated against, in the Russian NOC chief’s opinion, could launch alternative Olympic Games. As the first step toward boycotting these Olympics, Russia might announce its refusal to participate in the 2004 summer games in Athens. IOC President Jacques Rogge has written a letter to Vladimir Putin, requesting the Russians to curb the passions and expressing the hope that they will not abandon the Olympics.