Communists Ask That the U.S. Not Be Allowed at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi

Communists Ask That the U.S. Not Be Allowed at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi

Izvestia - 6 January 2013

by Дмитрий Рункевич and Алена Сивкова

translated by Phil
Click here for the original article in Russian

The political party Communists of Russia invites the president to not stop at only the proposed Dima Yakovlev law [which would ban U.S. adoption of Russian children].

image: sochi2014.com

The newly created party Communists of Russia (which calls itself an alternative to the Russian Communist Party) asks the country's leadership to continue the reaction to the U.S.'s adopted Magnitsky Bill [which is meant to punish corrupt Russian officials].  The Communists wrote a letter to President Vladimir Putin (made available to Izvestia) alleging that the Dima Yakolev law is not enough of a response to the Americans and that it is necessary further to deny the American Olympic team participation in the 2014 games in Sochi.

"We offer as equivalent measures to ensure justice and the U.S. establishment's responsibility to the world public to ban their athletes entrance to Russia to participate in the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi.  The athletes represent the interests of the imperialist monster - The United States," says the letter.

"It seems that such a move against the U.S. would have a greater political affect than the Anti-Magnitsky, Dima Lakovlev Law.  The Olympics is a large international event and such a move would attract a wide political audience", says the head of the Central Committee Maxim Suraikin.  "Moreover I believe that this position will support the many countries that aren't happy with the U.S.'s actions in recent years.

One of the authors of the letter, the secretary of the Krasnodar branch of Communists of Russia, Mikhail Abramyan said that the letter was sent not only to the president but also to the Russian Duma.  "We believe that this will be the best solution and answer to the aggressive U.S. policy towards Russia", he said.  "Additionally, we plan to hold a number of protests in Sochi to support our proposal."

During the first and last modern Olympics in modern Russia, in 1980, the U.S. and many European countries teams ignored the games in response to Soviet aggression in Afghanistan.  Back then the games were essentially a competition only between socialist countries.  However now it is a proposal from communists that has caused discontent among Duma members and athletes.

Duma member and member of the United Russia party Nikolai Valuyev called the letter pure PR.  "This is a simple attempt to fill a cheap political capital.  The Olympic games and the Magnitsky list have nothing to do with one another and there is no need to try and mix them." 

"With these kinds of ideas we are going back to the 20th century.  We already passed a law that forbids Americans from taking our children", said world figure skating champion Maria Butirskaya.  "But it would be a new low to not let the Americans into the Olympics.  It's absurd."

The Communists of Russia party are positioning themselves as supporters of far left political views.  Since they formed they have often tried to attract attention with their actions.  Previously they accused the Minister of Culture of anti-communist harassment, inciting civil unrest and referred him to the Prosecutor General.