DISINFO: Banning Russia from the Olympics is a modern form of racism
SUMMARY
It is modern-day racism to declare a certain group of people non-eligible for a certain activity. An example of that is telling Russian athletes that they “can’t compete in Olympic Games, can’t speak Russian, and can’t show Russian flags”.
RESPONSE
The International Olympic Committee banned Russia from the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang in 2018 due to the systemic manipulation of anti-doping rules during the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Individual athletes from Russia could still compete under the Olympic flag. Racism or Russophobia accusations are a frequent technique of pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign to distract the audience from the actual cause for the ban.