Most Important Political Messages of the Paris Olympic Games

UKRAINE’S VICTORY. Despite the devastating war and poor training conditions, the Ukrainian team performed brilliantly at the Paris Olympic Games, winning 12 medals, three of which were gold. With this result, Ukraine placed an honorable 22nd in the medal rankings.

For comparison, in the 2021 Tokyo Games, Ukraine, a country with a large population and strong sporting traditions, won only one gold medal. That gold was won in Greco-Roman wrestling by Jean Belenyuk, who, alongside his sports career, has been representing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s Servant of the People party in the Rada for several years. In Paris, Belenyuk returned with a bronze medal.

Sports provide people and nations with heroes, and they are especially needed in difficult times. A headline in one Ukrainian newspaper aptly summed it up: “Legend Harlan and Queen Mahuchikh.”

Among Ukrainian athletes, épée fencer Olga Kharlan became a symbol of resistance already at last year’s World Championships when she refused to shake hands with a Russian competitor and was disqualified for it. In Paris, Kharlan demonstrated her athletic prowess by winning a team gold medal and an individual bronze.

And while fencing is a sport that does not often garner significant international attention, one of the biggest stars in global athletics this year is high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who became an Olympic champion in Paris. Behind her, Irina Gerashchenko won bronze, showcasing a powerful performance by Ukrainian athletes in one of the marquee athletics events. Unlike many of her teammates, Mahuchikh’s preparation was not hampered by difficult training conditions, as she largely trains in excellent facilities in Estonia, created by her Estonian manager.

RUSSIA AS A PARIAH STATE. Both the Olympic Games and the European Football Championship held earlier in the summer clearly demonstrated to the Russians the extent to which they have become international pariahs. Although Kremlin propaganda mocked and belittled the Paris Games in every possible way, the channels that had purchased broadcasting rights were not allowed to show the events, fearing it would create a sense of failure.

As a result, pro-Kremlin media focused on side stories before and during the Games in an attempt to undermine their significance. Toward the end of the Games, headlines such as “A US Water Polo Player Pulled Off an Opponent’s Swimsuit” and “Tajikistan and Thailand Flags Mixed Up During Award Ceremony” began to appear.

The medal haul for the few athletes who managed to participate under the AIN (Athletes of Individual Neutrality) flag turned out to be unexpectedly modest. Of the five medals won under the AIN flag, four went to Belarus, with the only Russian winners being Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, who took silver in women’s doubles tennis.

PRESIDENT BACH – A STRANGER EVEN TO THE RUSSIANS. It was only thanks to the personal pressure exerted by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach that 32 Russian and Belarusian athletes were allowed to participate in the Paris Games, despite these countries being responsible for initiating the war in Ukraine.

According to the IOC, the countries that demanded the complete exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paris Games were guilty of double standards. “We have not heard any assessment from these countries regarding the participation of athletes from nations involved in the 70 wars or armed conflicts happening elsewhere in the world,” said the IOC in a statement.

In his closing speech at the Olympic Games last night, the IOC president once again positioned himself as a spokesperson for global peace. Unfortunately, this did not win him any supporters within the international coalition backing Ukraine in the war, nor in Russia.

After Bach announced his decision to step down from his position, Alexey Pushkov, chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Committee on International Affairs, mocked him. “It’s indeed time for Bach to leave office, as he will be remembered for the scandals surrounding the Paris Games,” Pushkov sneered, referring to the alleged participation of transgender boxers in the games. The issue of transgender athletes has gained significant international attention, but it could be a Kremlin information operation aimed at damaging the reputation of the Paris Games and the IOC.

BRITTNEY GRINER, WHO SPENT TIME IN A RUSSIAN PRISON. Brittney Griner, the U.S. women’s basketball player who spent ten months in a Russian prison, made her comeback at the Olympic Games. However, the return of the 33-year-old star, who won her third Olympic gold in Paris, was modest in terms of athletic performance, as her coach dared to put her on the court for only a few minutes in the thrilling final match against France.

Nevertheless, Griner’s inclusion, standing at 206 centimeters tall, was a subtle jab at Russia and a small nod to the LGBT community. Griner, who had spent years supplementing her income by playing in the Russian basketball league alongside the U.S. professional league, found herself at the center of global attention when she was accused of possessing cannabis oil in Russia in 2021. The accusation was aimed at creating problems for the U.S. government and finding a high-profile American to exchange for Viktor Bout, an arms dealer important to the Kremlin.

At the same time, the attack on Griner aligned with the Kremlin’s defense of conservative values, as she was the first openly lesbian athlete to sign an endorsement deal with Nike. Just three weeks before the start of the Paris Games, Griner’s legal wife, Cherelle, gave birth to their son.

CHINA vs USA. For politicians and millions of sports fans alike, their country’s position on the medal table is always significant after the Olympic Games. This year, the USA and China ended up tied with 40 gold medals each, but the Americans secured the top spot in the rankings due to their higher number of silver and bronze medals.

Just as China has risen alongside the USA in economic power and is becoming increasingly threatening in military strength, the growth of the communist superpower’s influence is also reflected in the Olympic medal table. Historically, the medal tables of the Summer Olympics have been a good indicator of the influence of major powers: since 1896, the USA has won the most medals on 19 occasions. Moreover, the Americans have consistently topped the medal count since the 2012 Games.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union, which invested enormous amounts of money in sports, took the top spot from the USA on six occasions. In 1936 and 2008, the host countries, Nazi Germany and communist China respectively, won the most medals. Now, China has risen to challenge the Americans even on foreign soil. However, already in Tokyo, the USA’s lead in gold medals was slim, measured at just 39 to 38.

CHINA VS TAIWAN AND HONG KONG. China is increasingly strengthening its influence over Hong Kong and attempting to do the same with Taiwan. Without delving into the complex historical background, we’ll focus on examples of the political tensions that were also reflected in Paris.

Due to pressure from China, Taiwanese athletes competed under the name “Chinese Taipei,” and the Hong Kong team was officially listed as “Hong Kong, China.”

This made it a particularly sweet moment for Taiwanese fans when, in men’s gymnastics, Chinese athlete Zhang Boheng and Taiwanese athlete Tang Chia-Hung shared the bronze medal.

The New York Times reported an incident during a badminton match between Chinese and Taiwanese athletes, where a spectator had a scarf embroidered with the word “Taiwan” confiscated, as it was considered a political statement. Taiwanese athletes refused to answer political questions after the competition to avoid potential issues.

But political problems at the Games arose not only between countries but also within them. In Estonia, Hong Kong épée fencer Vivian Kong became known for defeating Nelli Differt in the semifinals. Another gold for Hong Kong, officially designated as a “Special Administrative Region of China,” was won by foil fencer Cheung Ka-long.

China is steadily tightening its control over Hong Kong, and people are defending their freedoms with massive street protests. Against this backdrop, the reception of the fencing gold medalists at home was entirely different: Vivian Kong was accused of being pro-China because she has criticized the protesters. In contrast, Cheung Ka-long was celebrated on his home island as a symbol of the fight for freedom.

This is natural in a small region where people’s attitudes towards China are illustrated by an incident during the men’s team gymnastics competition. A Chinese gymnast fell twice, resulting in Japan winning the gold medal. This sparked a wave of (schadenfreude) joy on Hong Kong’s social media. “I’m so glad the Chinese gymnast fell,” one commentator wrote. “China’s loss brings me even more joy than if Hong Kong had won the gymnastics competition.”