How does Kremlin propaganda portray the Paris Olympics?

In the summer of 1984, Tallinn’s hotels brimmed with the Soviet Union’s most Western-oriented individuals. This unique gathering was driven by a singular privilege: only from the capital of the Estonian SSR could one watch the Los Angeles Olympic Games via Finnish television. The Soviet Union’s boycott of these games meant there were no official television broadcasts of the event within the USSR.

Forty years later, the Olympic Games are boycoting the Russian Federation, and only a handful of Russians will participate in the Paris Olympics. Although Russian TV channels purchased the broadcasting rights for the games, they are not using them based on orders from the Kremlin.

Does this create an understanding among the 140 million Russian citizens that their country is an international pariah? “For more than 70 percent of Putin’s war supporters, being sidelined from the Olympic Games is yet another sign of how the West is unjustly bullying Russia. This is how Kremlin propaganda portrays it,” answers Indrek Kannik, head of the International Centre for Defence Studies.

In 1984, the Soviet elite could only follow the Olympic Games in Tallinn, but now the world is open to the Russian elite. “The Russian elite can now watch the Olympics online or travel to Turkey, Georgia, or Armenia,” notes Kannik.

Nevertheless, being excluded from the Olympic Games bothers the Kremlin, which is why broadcasting the games on major Russian TV channels was banned. In addition, Kremlin propaganda systematically and massively disparages the event.

Propastop provides an overview of how Kremlin propaganda portrays the Paris Olympics. To do this, we monitored the news feed of the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty for 24 hours on Wednesday and summarize our findings. It is worth noting that readers of this popular daily newspaper are more educated than the average Russian media consumer, as, according to the Levada Center, the most ardent supporters of Putin’s war are television viewers.

04:58 “Paris Prostitutes Don’t Like the Olympics”

Representatives of the sex industry complain that due to the games, police patrol the streets of central Paris, and their clients are afraid to visit brothels.

05:11 Zakharova: France Has Become a Non-Christian Country

Official spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, stated after the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games that the Paris Olympics demonstrate the ongoing domestic political crisis in France. The country has shifted from being “Christian” to non-Christian (the theme of the Last Supper was addressed at the opening ceremony). “If Charles de Gaulle had known what the country would become, he would have scolded the current leaders,” said Zakharova.

08:32 “Zakharova Called the Cynicism of World Sports Leaders Monstrous”

The International Olympic Committee decided not to exclude Israeli athletes from the Olympic Games, despite Palestine’s proposal, and this decision was commented on by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova. She stated that the IOC’s attitude is a clear example of monstrous cynicism.

13:09 “Swim Where You’re Told. The Organizers Humiliate Athletes and Sport.”

Long-suffering triathletes had to swim in the polluted Seine River. An Italian athlete’s prediction came true: “The water is dirty and cold, and the current bothers us.”

14:08 “Russian Fencer Explained Why She Hugged a Ukrainian at the Olympics”

Anna Bashta, a fencer from Togliatti representing Azerbaijan, explained that her hug with Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan after the quarterfinals was due to their long-standing friendship.

15:37 “Russian Flag Shown in Olympic Broadcast”

Before the 200-meter breaststroke event, the broadcast showed that Evgenia Chikunova set the world record in this discipline in 2023. Next to her name, the Russian flag was displayed, even though displaying the Russian flag during the opening ceremony was prohibited. Chikunova refused to participate in the games, calling the conditions imposed on Russians unacceptable.

16:56 “Canadian Athlete Vomited After Swimming in the Seine”

A Canadian athlete vomited after swimming in the polluted Seine River, despite cycling 40 kilometers afterward.

16:58 “Woman by Passport. (IOC President) Thomas Bach Allowed Transgender Athletes Despite Everything.”

Officials allowed two transgender athletes to participate in the women’s boxing tournament.

19.11 “Kadõrov väljendus jõuliselt nende kohta, kes tahavad keelata hijabi kandmise”. Tšetšeenia juht Ramzan Kadõrov astus välja selle vastu, et naistel keelatakse kanda nägu varjavat riietust. See avaldus oli ajendatud Prantsuse naisjooksja väitest, et teda ei lubatud mängude avatseremooniale, kuna ta kandis hijabi. Välisministeeriumi pressiesindaja Zaharova nimetas sellist käitumist ”segregatsiooni aktiks”.

19.28. “Tšikunova avaldas arvamust oma rekordi ja VF lipu esitlemise kohta OM-teleülekandes”. Vene ujuja Jevgenia Tšikunova reageeris oma maailmarekordi tähise puhul teleekraanil esitatud VF lipule. ”See on meeldiv, kuid ma isegi ei mõelnud, et võiks olla kuidagi teisiti. Maailmarekord on ju ametlikult registreeritud,” ütles ujuja.

18:44 Zakharova Called the 2024 Olympics the Culmination of the Crisis of Western Liberal Democracy

“This is liberal dictatorship, imposing a distorted understanding of what it means to be human. The Paris Olympics will be remembered as the culmination of the crisis of liberal democracy,” stated Zakharova.

19:11 “Kadyrov Spoke Out Strongly Against Those Who Want to Ban the Hijab”

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov opposed the ban on women wearing face-covering clothing. This statement was prompted by a French female runner’s claim that she was not allowed to attend the opening ceremony of the games because she was wearing a hijab. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova called such behavior “an act of segregation.”

19:28 “Chikunova Expressed Her Opinion on the Display of Her Record and the Russian Flag in the Olympic Broadcast”

Russian swimmer Evgenia Chikunova reacted to the display of the Russian flag next to her world record in the Olympic broadcast. “It’s nice, but I didn’t even think it could be any different. The world record is officially registered,” said the swimmer.