From Portugal to Romania, fear, funding pressure, and rule-bending are shutting young competitors out in the name of ‘fairness’
Was I wrong? I supported the suspension of Russian clubs and teams from international football and rugby competition, even though I saw the cost meted out to players, clubs, fans, and people who work tirelessly to promote both sports at the grassroots level.
My reasoning was solid. It was about protecting athletes, officials, and spectators first. It’s why I believe Israel should also face a time-out, because it has to be safety first. However, a second total and utter act of cowardice by EU sports officials in under a week has my brain doing cartwheels.
Last week, it was Romanian rhythmic gymnastic event organizers who were breaking the rules and discriminating against young Russian girls, simply for being Russian. This week, Portuguese trampolining tyrants have doubled down to not just ignore, but egregiously breach the decision of World Gymnastics (gymnastics’ global governing body) to have Russia and Belarus treated equally with other nations.
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