Dakar Youth Games test waters for Russia's comeback

Résumé détaillé

DAKAR, Nov 12 : Russia's national anthem played during the medal ceremony on the first day of the Youth Olympics at a pool in Senegal's capital Dakar, a small but symbolic victory in Moscow's quest to return to the international sporting stage.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in 2023 after the ROC recognised regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.

Two years later, however, the IOC said youth athletes should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments, urging federations to readmit Russian youth athletes to international events without any restrictions.

The fruits of that guidance have been on display during the Games in Dakar, with 13 Russian athletes competing in nine events, including swimming, judo and skateboarding.

Serafima Fokina, a 17-year-old swimmer, finished first in the women's 100 metres butterfly on the opening day. Standing on the podium with her gold medal around her neck, she sang along to the Russian anthem with a smile on her face.

"Of course, I was happy, how could I not be? I was proud of myself and of my country," the teenager told Reuters last week before winning another gold in the women's 50-metre butterfly.

Not everyone in the audience was pleased, however. One spectator refused to stand for the Russian anthem.

"Europeans, and in particular the European Union, are fiercely opposed to this return," Jean-Baptiste Guegan, a French expert on the geopolitics of sport, told Reuters.

National federations in countries including Norway, Denmark and Sweden have said their teams will not play against Russia in international competitions.

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