EDITORIAL: The gold for hypocrisy In sports goes to …

As war in Ukraine continues, Russian teams set to be welcomed back to world events

Published Jul 10, 2026  •  Last updated 28 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

The flag of Russia. Photo by Odd Andersen /Getty Images

It’s a sad but enduring fact that sports and politics are so fiercely entwined that the ham-fisted actions of those who manage and govern sports often choke the athletic purity of those who compete.

Article content

That was on display this week when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced it would lift the ban imposed on the Russian Olympic Committee following Russia’s war on Ukraine, allowing it to field teams at the 2028 Olympics.

Article content

Recommended Videos

Article content

They could not have picked a worse time for the announcement. Russia unleashed a massive assault on Kyiv recently, targeting apartment buildings and killing scores of civilians.

Some say Russian athletes shouldn’t be blamed for the war. Perhaps if they fought as hard as Ukrainians for their freedom, they could rid themselves of their brutal dictatorship and hold their government to account.

Russian athletes have also been caught cheating in multiple state-sponsored doping scandals.

In a statement, the IOC said, among other restrictions, Olympic events will not be held in Russia and Russian athletes will be required to meet all anti-doping requirements. The IOC will decide later whether athletes will compete under the Russian flag and anthem.

Article content

Canadian sports minister Adam van Koeverden said he’s “appalled” by the decision.

“Canada strongly opposes the International Olympic Committee’s decision to lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, which had been in effect since October 12, 2023,” he said in a Facebook post.

Sky News reports the IOC decision has emboldened that other bastion of sports venality, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), to reconsider its ban on Russian participation in the World Cup.

In an unrelated act of sports vandalism, it was reported that Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon had the names of his wife and five kids inscribed in the Stanley Cup. Teams are allowed 55 names and his family took up the first seven spots.

This is desecration. The Stanley Cup was donated by Lord Frederick Stanley, a Governor General of Canada. It belongs to hockey, not to an individual. Dundon’s wife and kids aren’t worthy of lacing the skates of greats like Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Henri Richard, Dave Keon and Jean Beliveau, whose names are on the trophy.

It’s time to put hubris aside and give sports back to the athletes.

Read More

1. 

   EDITORIAL: PM’s selective morality is based on trade

2. 

   EDITORIAL: Liberals quash election result with power ploy

Article content