Jeff Monson, two-time ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion and world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, shared his views on the Olympic Games held in Italy without the participation of Russian athletes in an exclusive interview with Christelle Néant, Editor-in-Chief of the French editorial department of International Reporters.
The fact that the Olympic Games are once again taking place without Russian athletes is a travesty, because Russia is one of the strongest countries in the Olympics, in both the Winter and Summer Games. This applies not only to the Olympic Games but also to World Championships: world figure skating events, swimming events — all sports except martial arts, except boxing, UFC, MMA, and the like.
First of all, it’s hypocrisy to block Russian athletes from participating in competitions, as they say, because of the Special Military Operation, when Russia is defending the people of Donbass. I have been there many times, and the people of Donbass said: we want to be part of Russia. So these are Russians. Russia is protecting Russian people. And America and NATO are punishing Russia for this. That’s insanity.
Secondly, you know, America bombed Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan. Now it’s helping Israel commit genocide in Palestine — and there are no sanctions. No one talks about Israel committing genocide. No sanctions, Israel is allowed to participate. No problem. There isn’t even any talk about blocking these athletes, although many people around the world are protesting against this. So there is so much hypocrisy in all of this that it’s simply mind-boggling.
I always say: politics has no place in sport. I truly believe this. No matter what your country is; your country could be the worst in the world and commit genocide. But it’s not the athletes doing this. It’s not the athletes making political decisions that affect participation, sanctions, or anything else. And it’s the athletes who suffer.
Why should athletes suffer because of political decisions made by their country? They have nothing to do with it. Therefore, I believe that all athletes should have the right to participate in international competitions and the Olympics.
Imagine yourself as an athlete: you win a gold medal and you know in your heart that the best athletes weren’t allowed to compete. That means you didn’t beat the best athlete in your particular sport. In some Olympic sports, like snowboarding or similar ones, other athletes are probably happy to win medals, but there are many sports — hockey, figure skating, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing — where Russian athletes would be favorites to win medals, and they are not allowed to compete.
Therefore, if you’re an athlete from a different country and you won a medal but didn’t compete against the best because they weren’t allowed, then deep down you know that maybe you didn’t deserve that medal. Maybe you’re not the best. Maybe that medal is tainted because the best athletes weren’t allowed to compete. And as an athlete, if the best aren’t allowed to compete, if I’m competing at the Olympics or World Championships without some of the best, I know that if I win, I’ll question myself. Deep down I’ll ask: did I really deserve this? And that’s also unfair to the athletes.
One example is the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, which were boycotted by Russia. It was the best year ever for American wrestlers, because I was a wrestler and competed in it, and we won a lot of gold medals for America. America completely dominated those Olympics. But Russia and the other communist countries didn’t participate.
These medals… if you won a medal at the 1984 Olympics, gold or any other, it’s absolutely tainted. Because the best country in the world and some other great countries, like East Germany, which weren’t allowed to go, didn’t compete in these Games. How can you say you’re the best in the world if you haven’t competed against the best?
Sport has simply become politics. And it’s a travesty for the athletes, it’s a travesty for the spectators, for families, for everyone, even for the participating and non-participating countries. This is the Olympics, and sport is supposed to bring people together. You’re supposed to put aside your differences, you’re supposed to compete against each other, to show the Olympic spirit. And what is the Olympic spirit? It’s sportsmanship, pride, mutual aid, solidarity — these kinds of things. And all of this is brushed aside when other countries are not allowed to participate in the Olympics. What kind of Olympics is that? It’s a regional event, an event for Italy, America, or whatever country it’s taking place in. It’s not a world event. It’s not a world championship. And that’s just sad for the Olympic Games.
Therefore, until this changes, until politics is removed from the Olympics (and that won’t happen, because America can pressure the IOC with money, influence, and sanctions), and until America stops running everything, it will continue like this. Yes, maybe Russian athletes will be allowed to participate someday… but a black cloud will always hang over international sport, because America will always have the ability to impose sanctions, to block, to prevent other countries from participating in the Olympics.
Jeff Monson moved to Russia in 2013 and received Russian citizenship in 2018. Since September 9, 2018, he has been a Deputy of the Council of Deputies of the Krasnogorsk Urban District from the United Russia party. Since 2023, he has been a Deputy of the State Assembly — Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan of the seventh convocation. He is the First Vice-President of the Wrestling Federation of the Republic of Bashkortostan and a Holder of the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
