Russia Front and Center as Paralympics Begin
Play episode:
On the show this week, Mark and Haig discuss whether Russian and Belorussian athletes should be allowed to compete in the Paralympics (0:36)? How will athletes from other nations be affected and will they protest about competing with Russian athletes (3:36)?
Online streaming platform Tencent made some desperate edits when a fan waving a Ukrainian flag popped up on their stream of an NBA game (4:11). In ice hockey, two of the KHL’s five international teams have pulled out — what does this mean for Kunlun Red Star, China’s entry in the Russian league (6:30)? It’s even more complicated for the KRS women, whose players hail from seven countries (8:12). Throughout it all, China is trying to sit on the fence, but that’s increasingly no longer an option (9:41). And athletes and coaches are getting drawn into the fray, as Thomas Tuchel — manager at Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea — knows only too well (11:04). China has close links with both the IOC and Russia, so China, too, is in a tough spot when the IOC sanctions Russia and Putin (12:18).
In men’s tennis, the ATP has dropped its Moscow tournament and announced four Chinese tournaments on its 2022 calendar — but what are the chances those tournaments actually take place (13:23)? Finally, double Olympic champion speed skater Nils van der Poel has donated one of his medals to make a political statement, further straining China-Sweden relations (15:40).
