Russia Will Not Broadcast Paris Olympics – Reports

Russian television will not broadcast the Olympic Games for the first time in 40 years due to the almost total absence of its athletes, the news outlet sports.ru reports. reportedciting unknown sources.

Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete in this month’s Paris Olympics only as neutral athletes without national flags and anthems. Additional screening procedures are intended to ensure that the athletes do not actively support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or have ties to their countries’ armies.

Website of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shows that only 16 Russians and 17 Belarusians accepted the invitation to compete under a neutral flag at the upcoming Summer Games. That compares to the 330 Russians and 104 Belarusians who participated in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

According to sports.ru, a political decision has long been made that in the current realities it is impossible to broadcast the Olympic Games without the flag and anthem on (the largest Russian broadcasters) Channel 1 and Rossia 1.

Russian officials have neither officially confirmed nor denied the report.

It would be the first time that Russian television did not broadcast the Olympics since the Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles after the US boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Russian sports channel Match TV, owned by Gazprom Media, had considered broadcasting some events, but the issue “fell off the table” after Russian wrestlers turned down The invitation from the IOC, according to sports.ru.

“Millions (rubles) spent on TV rights for 15 people in unpopular sports (except tennis) were considered an unjustified waste of money and nerves,” the Russian website wrote.

Telesport Group — a communal undertaking between the National Media Group (NMG) guided by former gymnast Alina Kabaeva and the entertainment branch of the state bank Sberbank — Hold tight the broadcasting rights for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Telesport Group head Pyotr Makarenko is in temporary custody for fraud.

Sports.ru reported that illegal live broadcasts of the Olympic Games are being advertised by groups on the popular social network VKontakte. The VKontakte press service said it will officially host content around the Paris Games, but does not plan to buy the broadcasting rights.