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My latest column in the Taipei Times. The Olympics will open soon in France, and Taiwan will be the one nation forced to appear in front of billions of viewers under a fictitious name invented by Chinese imperialists. I discuss the importance of pushing back against "Chinese Taipei creep," whereby this label has come to describe Taiwan across numerous contexts, and is leading the general public to falsely believe China has some sort of authority or control over Taiwan. I outline how Taiwanese athletes and diaspora can take concrete measures to fight back against China's propaganda-- and how allies must stand by them. https://lnkd.in/e27g4xgx

Long before the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, sports were used to distract the masses, test foreign policies, thaw diplomatic tensions, and broadcast political and social messaging. Read HRF’s latest blog post: Following World War II, Europe’s one surviving dictator, General Francisco Franco of Spain, exploited the success of Real Madrid to soften its image and break out of the diplomatic isolation it had suffered since the end of the war. Using the team as a tool for strengthening his image, Franco weaponized sporting organizations for his one-party totalitarian regime and international soft projection. Read more about how Spain and other countries manipulated domestic and global perceptions of power through the popularity of sports in HRF’s four-part series:

The 2024 Olympics shed light on the IOC's "neutral athlete" policy, revealing its ineffectiveness. Russian competitors openly endorsed the invasion of Ukraine, sparking controversy. Silver medals went to tennis stars Mirra Andreeva, a Putin supporter, and Diana Shnaider, who avoided addressing Russia's actions. Elena Vesnina's social media activity raised eyebrows by liking posts with the "Z" war symbol. Global Rights Compliance identified 17 athletes violating regulations, including a cyclist denying Ukraine's existence and a canoeist linked to Russian security. Despite warnings, the IOC chose to overlook these infractions. Despite Russia securing only two medals, the nation touted a propaganda win. Mark Temnycky cautions that the IOC's inaction risks normalizing aggression and empowering other authoritarian regimes. His proposed solution: the exclusion of all Russian athletes from future Olympics to safeguard the Games' integrity. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gC5MMBrc

Russia to keep its stance aimed at democratizing sports, says Putin "We will pursue more democracy in the sports movement, strive to remove artificial barriers and restrictions, and expand the range of national and international sporting events," the Russian president said MOSCOW, September 2/ The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is flagrantly flouting the Olympic ideals, but Russia will keep on walking the path of democratizing sports and removing far-fetched restrictions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Mongolia’s Onoodor daily. "The current leaders of the International Olympic Committee, acting at the behest of the collective West - primarily the United States - are flagrantly flouting the Olympic ideals they should be defending. Instead of promoting the rights of athletes, the integrity and universality of the Olympic movement, they are clinging to their social position, power and personal prosperity," Putin stated. "We will pursue more democracy in the sports movement, strive to remove artificial barriers and restrictions, and expand the range of national and international sporting events," the Russian president added. #business #finance #financialservices

Putin points to attempts of employing global sports arena for ‘unnatural norms’ propaganda Russian President said that he is certain that global majority chooses a "path to follow that is based on equality" UFA, October 18/ Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out on Thursday to attempts of turning the Olympic Movement into a platform for geopolitical games and propaganda of unnatural norms. "Clearly, there are attempts to turn the international sports and the Olympic movement into a geopolitical playground, rather than an arena for fair competition, a place for promoting a destructive neo-liberal agenda, unnatural norms, pseudo-freedoms, as well as rejecting traditional values that have been held by the vast majority of countries and peoples for centuries, and even millennia," he said speaking at the ‘Russia - Country of Sports’ international sports forum. "I am certain that the global majority, just like Russia, chooses a different path to follow that is based on equality, openness, and mutual respect in all areas of cooperation, including the economy, culture, science, education, healthcare, trade, politics, and, of course, sports," he continued. "Drawing on our extensive experience of hosting large-scale sporting events, including the Winter Olympics in Sochi and the FIFA World Cup, we are promoting new cooperation formats based on the true ideals and principles of sports such as solidarity, fairness, the celebration of human spirit, strength, intellect, as well as generosity of spirit and respect for the dignity of our competitors, strong competitors," Putin said. "We have respect for all our competitors." #business #finance #financialservices

Russian diplomat demands probe into IOC chief’s role in politicization of sports "An investigation is necessary, it is important to know exactly how Thomas Bach is using the powers entrusted to him," Maria Zakharova underlined MOSCOW/ International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach needs to be investigated after what he said about the politicization of sports, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. Earlier, the IOC president said in a conversation with Russian pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov ("Vovan") and Alexey Stolyarov ("Lexus") that the organization was keeping a close eye on any political statements made by Russian athletes, and Ukraine was helping them with this. "It is necessary to carry out an internal investigation, perhaps even an external one, because everything related to the Olympic Games is of great journalistic interest, especially in Western countries. An investigation is necessary, it is important to know exactly how Thomas Bach is using the powers entrusted to him. Why do we hear about a conspiracy from a man who heads the IOC with a certain country in order not to allow athletes from another country to participate in international sports competitions? Why do we hear words that directly point to the dream, the desire that in reality turns into a politicization of sport, from a person who swore to obey completely different values?" the diplomat said. Zakharova also called Bach's statements "a horrific revelation, a confession of how the post occupied by him is used in contradiction to all international legal norms promoting sport in the name of peace, development and cooperation." "All of this requires a deep, thorough analysis and investigation," the spokeswoman pointed out. According to the diplomat, "people like Thomas Bach do a disservice to the world of sport, to the Olympic movement, they not only violate, but directly contradict global Olympism." #business #finance #financialservices

The 2024 Olympics exposed a glaring failure in the IOC's "neutral athlete" policy for Russians. Despite restrictions, several competitors openly supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tennis silver medalists Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider became the poster children for this controversy. Andreeva, a known Putin supporter, had previously endorsed social media posts backing atrocities in Ukraine. Shnaider dodged questions about Russia's neutrality status post-victory. Elena Vesnina, another tennis player, liked posts displaying the Russian "Z" war symbol. Cyclist Alyona Ivanchenko questioned Ukraine's right to exist, while canoeist Aleksei Korovashkov had links to Russian security agencies. They weren't alone. Global Rights Compliance identified 17 athletes violating neutrality rules, including a cyclist who questioned Ukraine's right to exist and a canoeist with ties to Russian security agencies. The IOC ignored warnings from this group and Ukrainian officials alike. Russia parlayed its minimal Olympic presence into a propaganda victory. With only two medals, it still managed to project power on the global stage. Mark Temnycky argues this failure by the IOC emboldens authoritarian regimes worldwide. He calls for a complete ban on Russian athletes in future Games to prevent normalizing Russia's actions and preserve Olympic integrity. Read more in the opinion by Mark N. V. Temnycky on Euromaidan Press. https://lnkd.in/d4HPZpan

https://lnkd.in/dADCmjCa The Olympic Games Are Always Political for China At a time of economic malaise, citizens are questioning why the government is spending so much in the quest for gold. August 8, 2024 at 12:30 AM GMT+5:30 By Karishma Vaswani China has long invested heavily to push its athletes to triumph against the West, as a way of highlighting the merits of the Communist Party. These Olympic Games are no different, but for one key aspect: Citizens are openly questioning why Beijing is spending so much money on a sporting event when many at home are facing bleak economic prospects. A 716-strong Chinese contingent is competing in 30 sports, 42 disciplines, and 236 events, a record according to the foreign ministry. Using the event to trumpet the benefits of Communist Party rule is a narrative that dates back to the 1950s, when under Mao Zedong elite athletes were trained for Olympic glory as an international projection of soft power. The inspiration came from the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, the first time the Soviet Union competed and was extremely successful. That gave Chinese cadres a template of how a socialist country could beat Western-led democracies in a global arena.

To grasp the complex interplay of #geopolitics and the Olympic Games, I recommend reading "The Politics behind Olympic Bans" by Andrew Bertoli for IE Insights. 📚 The article delves into the ban on #Russia from the #Paris2024 #OlympicGames, examining how the IOC determines which countries are excluded. Russia's history includes three violations of the Olympic Truce through invasions during or near the Games, as well as involvement in a state-sponsored doping scandal. 🏅 Discover how sports and politics intersect on a global scale by reading the full article. 🌍 🔗  https://lnkd.in/dnm_XpbK #Reading #Sports #politics IE University IE School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs Angel Alonso Arroba Kerry Parke Borja Santos Porras

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝? 🇷🇺 𝑹𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑫𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒚: 𝑶𝒍𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝑹𝑰𝑪𝑺 ☆ Russia has the world’s largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is considered one of the leading energy producers. ☆ Russia always makes headlines for the war between Ukraine and Russia. India is also criticised by the international leader for purchasing oil from Russia. ☆ Even though Russia faced sanctions, it has no effect on their international importance as a country in the growth of the world. ☆ One aspect that impresses me about Russia and Vladimir Putin is their resilience and stategy foreign diplomat. . ☆ Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the IOC banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in 2024, but some Russians and Belarusians can compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics as individual neutral athletes. ☆ Even if any Russin Athelets win the medals, they can't show the Russian flag in the Paris Olympic events. ☆ The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics officially start on July 26 and conclude on August 11. The Paralympic Games begin on August 28 and end on September 8. ☆ Moreover , Russia hosting the BRICS Games in Kazan from June 11 to 23, 2024. ☆ About five thousand participants from more than 50 invited countries are expected to come. The sports programme includes competitions in the most popular sports in the BRICS countries. 18 sports venues will be used for the competitions and more than 300 medal events. ☆ Brazil is also sending 18 swinmmers to BRICS games in Russia. ☆ In the future, the Brics Games will be a growing and have the potential to become a prominent and premium sporting event.  ☆ This strategic initiative by Putin is commendable 𝗡̲𝗼̲𝘄̲,̲ ̲𝘄̲𝗶̲𝘁̲𝗵̲ ̲𝘁̲𝗵̲𝗶̲𝘀̲ ̲𝗴̲𝗿̲𝗲̲𝗮̲𝘁̲ ̲𝘀̲𝘁̲𝗿̲𝗮̲𝘁̲𝗲̲𝗴̲𝘆̲ ̲,̲ ̲𝘄̲𝗵̲𝗮̲𝘁̲ ̲𝗮̲𝗺̲ ̲𝗜̲ ̲𝗲̲𝘅̲𝗮̲𝗰̲𝘁̲𝗹̲𝘆̲ ̲𝘁̲𝗿̲𝘆̲𝗶̲𝗻̲𝗴̲ ̲𝘁̲𝗼̲ ̲𝗲̲𝘅̲𝗽̲𝗿̲𝗲̲𝘀̲𝘀̲?̲ ̲ ☆ 𝑯𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒓, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚. ☆ 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚. ☆ 𝑰𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆. 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚'𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔.