The Olympic movement risks lurching even further into an existential crisis if major problems aren’t addressed, and many of the levers for change are in the hands of US stakeholders
Here is an argument you won’t often hear from a US gold medallist. Russia isn’t solely to blame for the crisis in the Olympic movement. The real problem is wider and more serious – and it represents a threat to the whole Olympic movement with Russia currently at the center.
How might we view Russia? They could be seen like a kid behind you on an airplane who keeps kicking your seat. And yet when you turn around and ask them to stop, they keep going. If the parent doesn’t don’t hold the child accountable, what reason is there for behavior change? In this case the IOC executive board are the parents, and IOC president Thomas Bach is ultimately responsible.
