X6 for gold, X5 for silver, X3 for bronze

The 266 members of Russia’s Paralympic team will not be in Rio today for the opening of the games. The decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne has been branded unjust in Russia, even by those who do not doubt the existence of a state doping programme.

The fact that Russia’s power elite views sporting achievements primarily in the context of achievements (and not sport) is evident from the Kremlin’s arcane awards ceremony.

Whereas on 25 August, Russia’s bronze and silver medallists received their awards from a presidential aide and the Russian Minister of Sport, its gold medallists had theirs pinned on by Putin himself. Even Prime Minister Medvedev got in on the act, appearing on stage to present each Olympian with a BMW off-roader, strictly according to merit: X6 for gold, X5 for silver, X3 for bronze. Amid all this hierarchical ceremony (proving once again the adage, “Competing is nothing, winning is everything”), senior Russian officials continued to impress upon the world that only in Russia is sport safely segregated from politics. In this context, the scandal over the ban on Russia’s entire Paralympian team fanned the already flaming rhetoric (sport-related and otherwise) between Moscow and the West.

The McLaren Commission’s sensational report into alleged doping only mentions Russia’s Paralympians in passing, but they alone were hit by a blanket ban, while most of the able-bodied athletes (who faced much wordier accusations) ended up going to Rio. This skewed logic, whereby the most vulnerable, and least guilty, take the heat, is seen by many as a major injustice, no matter what part of the political spectrum they belong to.

Try to guess which statement below belongs to Prime Minister (and protector of the nation) Dmitry Medvedev, and which to Vladimir Mozgovoy, a columnist from the liberal Novaya Gazeta:

Quote №1: “To throw everyone overboard indiscriminately, punishing athletes who had no inkling of any ‘doping programme,’ especially Paralympians who have found a new life through sport, is not only improper, but mean-spirited.”

Quote №2: “This is a doubly cynical decision, for it targets those for whom every day is a struggle. It is a blow to all disabled people, not only Russian. The decision lays bare the desire of some Paralympic chiefs to eliminate strong competitors, because Russia is always up there in the medals.”

The second quote belongs to Russia’s mistrustful premier, but on this subject there is actually very little difference in opinion between liberals and the regime.

Again, decide whose teeth are grinding more loudly here – President Vladimir Putin’s or opposition blogger Anton Nosik’s:

Quote №1: “The decision to disqualify our Paralympians steps beyond the bounds of legality, morality and humanity. It is a cynical attempt to scapegoat a group of individuals for whom sport is the very meaning of life, who give hope and strength to millions of disabled people everywhere.”

Quote №2: “The practice of collective punishment is monstrously unfair. I can just imagine how these people must feel. All those years of training, practising and dreaming, only to have their hopes dashed two weeks before the event for the still unproven offences of others. It is doubly sickening that the disabled have borne the brunt of the crackdown, while most able-bodied athletes managed to avoid it.”

If you spotted the hand of the Kremlin’s slick speechwriters in the chiselled tone of the first quote, one eye as always on bolstering the anti-Western campaign, give yourself a medal (any colour).

Both the president and his prime minister have been seeking to extract maximum propaganda benefit from the exclusion of Russia’s Paralympic team. After all, the highly dubious decisions of the International Paralympic Committee and the Court of Arbitration for Sport seem to justify the Kremlin’s entire stock of anti-Western clichés: We’re surrounded by enemies; the West is continually plotting against Russia; double standards are always applied to Moscow, etc. etc. etc.

What is more, Putin can now don the mantle of defender of the downtrodden. As for how to rectify matters, that too has been decided: a separate competition will be held for the suspended Paralympians, the winners of which will be rewarded as true Olympians. In short, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has unwittingly presented Putin with a medal-winning opportunity. The one consolation is that all this hype and state handwringing might actually benefit disabled sports in Russia.

As Russians would say: “Even a mangy sheep gives one tuft of wool.”