Cast out of the Olympic Games as a pariah due to its ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia appears to be hell-bent on hating on the international sporting tournament in Paris.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian athletes were banned from performing in the 2024 Games unless they participated as “Individual Neutral Athletes.” As such, there are only 15 Russian athletes competing at the Summer Games in France this year.
Various Russian media outlets, the vast majority of which are linked to the Russian state, have appeared to revel in misfortunes and controversies — both significant and less so — that have sprung up during the competition, ranging from complaints over the catering in the Olympic Village to the gender furore in the women’s boxing event.
With nothing to win and less to lose, Russia’s media coverage of the Olympics has been invariably negative about the competition, host France and the organizer, the International Olympics Committee (IOC).
The tone of the Russian media coverage was set straight after the opening ceremony, with the Russian press honing in on the “scandal” and “disgrace” caused by a segment of the pageant featuring drag queens, which was accused of mocking Christianity.
Claims by organizers that the segment was meant to represent a pagan feast were ridiculed by the Russian media, with weekly newspaper outlet Argumenty i Fakty describing it as the “Olympus of Hell” and reporting that “the world” had condemned the “blasphemous” opening event.
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