Commentary by Steven V. Selthoffer, Chief European Columnist
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, October 11. The collective moan of disgust was felt like a wave across Europe and around the world at the news of FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione, URU, awarding the FINA Order to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the international sport conference in Cheboksary, Russia.
The Russian conference entitled “Russia- A Sport Power” (could it be named anything else?) was held to discuss upcoming calendar events and sport developments.
FINA’s press release stated that; “The FINA Order is granted to a Head of State or individuals of high dignity, who have achieved remarkable merit in the world of Aquatics. In the case of President Putin, FINA recognized his important support in the organization of major FINA events in Russian soil, thus bringing additional development to FINA disciplines and providing increased value to Aquatics within the Russian society and worldwide.”
Russia stepped in to host the FINA World Championships in conjunction with the FINA World Masters Championships in Kazan, Russia, July/August 2015 on the backs of three other FINA events. Other Western nations withdrew their candidacies due to present funding requirements and the cost overruns associated with the Rome 2009 championships still fresh in their memories. Consequently, Putin stepped in.
With Putin picking up the tab, paying the bills for another grandiose global sport event, it gave FINA more breathing room. It released the pressure on FINA from having to take a hard look at its own internal and external operations to cut costs, market more effectively and to improve its own management.
Last week as IOC 2022 Winter Olympic Games candidate city Oslo withdrew its application, with one commentator saying, “Due to the growing expense of hosting the Games and other large sport events, soon only rich dictators and one party states will be able to host them.” He was right. Only Kazakhstan and Beijing remain in the running… and Putin is circling elsewhere for other highlights.
FINA Needs House Cleaning
You have to remember and place Putin’s award in context with other FINA honors.
FINA also has the unique distinction of being the sport federation that has a convicted criminal, Dr. Lothar Kipke, GDR on their honor roll. The FINA recognition is for those “who have graced swimming with good service and upheld the best of values…” Craig Lord, SwimVortex, Dec 05, 2013.
Kipke organized and administered the drugs and steroids to swimmers and other athletes under the East German State Plan 14:25. He was also a member of FINA’s Medical Commission and was a former member of the Nazi Party during WWII. During the doping trials in the 1990s, Kipke was described in a German court as being “the Joseph Mengele of GDR sport.” (SwimVortex).
Russia is currently the focus of its own doping issues across many sports with swimming among them. Russia is close to a whole-nation ban under FINA rules. The leading doping case is two-time world champion Yuliya Efimova who is currently banned and was stripped of her world records.
“This is just insufferable. Forget the politics (bad enough). This (Russia) is the worst doping offender, and increasingly getting worse, over the past five years. This smacks exactly of the honors presented to the former East Germany at the height of its human rights violations. Tone Deaf FINA once again”, said John Leonard, Executive Director for the American Swim Coaches Association.
With an organization like FINA, that has not stripped the name of a convicted criminal like Kipke from its honor roll, it’s no wonder Putin seems a good choice for the FINA Order.
Buying Legitimacy
We have seen this before. Sitting with a senior German sport executive over coffee one afternoon during the Sochi Olympics, the German sport executive (who requested to remain anonymous) was furious at the IOC for letting Putin host the Sochi Olympics. “You will see. I tell you.” Taking a deep breath, looking up from his coffee and leaning forward to underscore his words, “You cannot trust him. He will invade Ukraine. Just watch. This is just like Hitler. We know. We should know.” He then, pushed away from the table, turning to stare outside the café for a few moments…
As Putin made the rounds “like a rock star” from the Deutsche Haus to the American House and others at the Sochi Winter Olympics shaking hands and posing for pictures, the Russian military deployment orders were already sent out months in advance to battalions and the Russian troops were already rehearsing for their operation.
Only hours after the dimming of the Olympic flame, Putin was off. There were other things on his mind and time table.
Three days after the closing ceremonies at the Sochi Winter Olympics, Putin’s army units invaded Ukraine. The civil war engineered by Moscow continues here in Europe. And no one inside the Kremlin has been brought to justice for the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17 from Amsterdam over Ukraine.
Playing the world as fools
Everyone in the Sochi Olympic village who had their picture taken with Vladimir Putin or was part of the glowing praise given him for hosting the Games during television interviews were unknowingly part of a long term and well-planned charade, like a crocodile lying in wait to strike, Putin anesthetized the global public from what was about to happen in the Ukraine.
Putin’s smiles and photo ops were calculated. So was Sochi. So was Ukraine. And, so is holding more lavish sport events like the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Make no mistake about it. No expense will be spared hosting the FINA World Championships. The events and operations will be perfect. Everything will run smoothly. There will be no strikes. And, there will be glowing praise afterwards…
It’s hard to believe what kind of thinking is necessary for the FINA Bureau and its President, Dr. Maglione to engage in and overlook the reality, justifying the awarding of FINA’s highest honor to Putin just because someone has opened their country’s bank accounts for sporting events after invading two of their neighbors at the loss of tens of thousands of lives and the downing civilian aircraft with the loss of hundreds more on board.
It makes FINA’s Order meaningless and worthless in the face of history.
However, FINA has to learn that there is a lot more to “honor” than just opening up a country’s bank accounts at the expense of its citizens, or the lives of those in neighboring countries or the loss of hundreds of others from around the world.
Or maybe, we can look at it from a cold-hearted, emotionless business perspective. Putin wants fame and fame is fleeting. FINA has its world championships and other events lavishly hosted to the tune of tens (or hundreds) of millions of Euros in exchange for some one-time, gold-plated award bling.
Honor? Where? Is that a good deal?
Who got the better of who?
Did this guy write speeches for NATO in 50s or something?
Give the man a break and leave politics aside. He is saving the sport, be it at the expense of his own country or not. We should be glad someone is willing to invest money on aquatics at this scale. Or should it be just major corporations that should get the fame?
If that’s how low your bar is, I guess we should be thankful that neither Hitler, Stalin or Pol Pot were huge swimming supporters.
FINA support genocide. Ridiculous organization. Please, boycott Kazan. I am regretting my participation in the FINA events.
You may like him or not, but if there is one President who deserves a sports award it would certainly be V.Putin. Just recall the brilliant Sochi Olympics.
I think the author would prefer to see Sen. McCain to be awarded for promotion of “molotov cocktail throwing” as new sport in unstable countries.
Normally I would tend to say that sports and politics should not be mixed – but I admit I was negatively surprised that FINA goes against the opinion of the many swimmers to grant a price to an unbelievable imperialist who in no way should receive a price for his “just taking” the Crimea and initiating the war crimes in Ukraine . . . and taking his own path in worls economics and politics, just confirming what we have all been thinking since Sept. 2001: Russians cannot be trusted ! and he delivered the evidence himself . . . propaganda on both sides dont deliver the truth, facts do . . . the Crimea was just taken from another country . . . and just so you know, Crimea was on the Russian weatherforecast months before the “referendum” was done to show that there was or wasnt a majority for being annxed. Dont boycot sports, move the venues away from Russia and let them understand that being a part of a society doesnt mean taking your own presents whenever you feel like it, but means responsabilities towards all humans in the entire world and respect for human lives = treat other people like you want them to treat you, yourself! Now Mr. Putin . . . you want some of your own treatment??
LMAO Big Bob I’d suggest you to have a seat, calm down, read a little about Crimean history, Donbass history, pro-Nazi coup in Ukraine before posting insinuations like this. The level of your ignorance, hate and russophobia is just off the scale.
Dear Chris
Thank you for the chair – I do already have several and I am sitting comfortably, you like anybody! are permitted to have your opinion, I respect fully, but with all due respect, I think you might need the chair more than me ☺ and next time Mr. Putin decides to annex some of your personal belongings, I will suggest FINA to give him another medal – since you were not the eternal owner of those items + if you protest against either, you will be the aggressor and the one to spread hatred – as simple as that noh??
The amount of butthurt emanating from this “article’s” author is comical and priceless.
Phelps DUI=suspension and off the worlds team
Putin mass murderer- lets give that guy an award
how many people did you guys kill in Hiroshima and Nagasaki again… which country produces the most notorious mass murderers again….funny coming from you.
hiroshima and nagasaki were a necessary evil to end a war and save millions of lives, putin starts wars and kills people for no reason other than to gain power
Typical… Putin is buying friends and supporters. All of the people that support Putin have either got the same economic interests, ideological beliefs or are corrupt and they need him to keep their power, money and influence. Putin is a gangster that uses his country’s’ money to benefit his friends and fellow gangsters. IT IS SAD THAT PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO SUPPORT A CORRUPT, EVIL, WARMONGERING LAND STEALING LEADER IN THE INTEREST OF ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. LOOK AT THE SUPPORT OF EX GERMAN CHANCELOR SCHROEDER. ANOTHER PAID APOLOGIST OF PUTINS!!
Without addressing the decision as a morally “right or wrong” issue, politically it has hit a hot button for many. I don’t see rewarding Putin as a good “political” move for FINA; It has brought negative publicity to the organisation and Its level of credibility.
US swimming organization has to be serious in voicing it position and boycott next World competition in Kazan , russia