President of Russia's Olympics committee accuses Games of being political for banning Alexander Lukashenko
The Olympics opening ceremony hasn't even been held – and already the Russians are playing rough.
Alexander Zhukov, the president of Russia's Olympics committee, took to a newly created Twitter account on Wednesday to accuse the Games of being political for banning Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian president of ex-Soviet Belarus.
"The Olympics organising committee in London did not give Belarus President A. Lukashenko accreditation. Sport is outside of politics?" Zhukov wrote in a tweet confirmed by his press secretary.
"And what about Olympic values and traditions? Every schoolchild knows that in Greece a truce was agreed during the Games," he wrote in a second tweet.
The European Union issued a visa ban on Lukashenko, often referred to as "the last dictator in Europe", following a violent crackdown on protests against a contested election in late 2010. Local and international human rights groups have decried Lukashenko's refusal to broker dissent or a free media. He has ruled Belarus for nearly two decades.
"President Lukashenko is subject to an EU travel ban due to the part he played in the violations of international electoral standards in the presidential elections in Belarus on 19 December 2010, and the crackdown on civil society and democratic opposition that followed," a UK government spokesman said. "The EU travel ban is legally binding and will remain operational for the Olympics. We will not change our decision on this issue."
Lukashenko's office declined to comment on the ban. Meeting Belarus's Olympic athletes before they departed for London this week, Lukashenko issued characteristically tough warnings. "There can only be victory," he told the gathered athletes. "The most important thing is not taking part – but winning. This is my mandate to you on behalf of the Belarussian people."
More curious is why Zhukov, a top Russian official and close ally of Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, decided to open his comments on the Games with criticism of the travel ban. Zhukov's press secretary declined to comment on his motivations.
Russia's relations with the west have been steadily deteriorating since Putin accused western diplomatic and spy services of standing behind the protests that accompanied his return to the presidency earlier this year. His support for the regime of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, has led to a further disintegration in relations.
Putin is expected to attend a judo event at the Olympics, during which he is expected to meet the British prime minister, David Cameron. Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, is due to attend the opening ceremony on Friday.
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