Therefore, athletes who have fled Russia after Putin’s attack and have changed their nationality are also participating in the Games. However, they are not safe from hostility from Russian nationalists. Mikhail Yakovlev, a track cyclist who now competes for Israel in Paris, told ARD: “Some people, especially from the government, are not happy with my decision to no longer compete for Russia. At first, I was a hero, but two days after leaving the country, I was a traitor, a junkie, an alcoholic.”
Putin’s revenge does not stop at Russian athletes participating in the competitions in Paris. The Kremlin is trying to disrupt the Olympic Games and sow chaos wherever possible. According to ZDF research, Russia is currently conducting a major disinformation campaign against the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Videos circulating online, such as those attributing fake quotes to actor Tom Cruise using AI technology, are part of this campaign. The title of the video is “The End of Olympia,” featuring Cruise’s voice accusing the IOC of corruption and greed.
The Russian disinformation campaign is also fueling the debate about the gender of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. Umar Kremlev, a close associate of Putin and the president of the disgraced International Boxing Association (IBA) due to corruption, is behind this. It is no coincidence that Kremlev publicly releases alleged medical examinations of Khelif during the Games – examinations that are years old.
These are Russian attempts to discredit the Olympics by spreading false information and hoping that these campaigns will be picked up and spread on social media by right-wing activists like former “Bild” editor Julian Reichelt in Germany. Reichelt has been constantly predicting the end of women’s sports since the start of the Games due to the discussion surrounding Khelif, in line with Moscow’s agenda. However, this narrative contradicts the overwhelmingly positive feedback from most athletes about the course of the Olympic Games in Paris, both in terms of sports and atmosphere.
But Putin’s vendetta against the IOC goes even further. According to the French Ministry of the Interior, around 5,000 people have been denied access to sports venues during the Games, with 1,000 individuals suspected of foreign influence – potentially espionage. “Le Parisien” reported on a Russian national who was alleged to be preparing for destabilization during the Olympics. This “subversive agent” of Putin has been arrested and charged.
It appears that Putin has not gotten over Russia’s exclusion from the Olympics. This is why he has intensified the hybrid information war, not only against Western societies but also against Russian Olympic participants, whom he perceives as adversaries. In reality, they are just athletes.