China Brags ‘Banned’ Russia Is Bringing 500 Russians to the Genocide Games

China’s state-run Global Times on Tuesday celebrated Russian leader Vladimir Putin for leading a 500-member delegation from Russia to the Beijing Winter Olympics, the largest foreign delegation yet announced for the event.

Putin’s huge entourage was touted as a rebuke to the “diplomatic boycott” of the Beijing Games announced by the United States – which the White House has since walked back – and its allies to protest China’s human rights violations.

The Global Times quoted Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov praising China’s ability to “host the event with high quality and overcome all difficulties posed by Covid-19 [Chinese coronavirus].”

Denisov said the Genocide Games would be “double happiness” for Russia because Putin is personally accompanying the armada of athletes, coaches, support staff, and VIPs so he can meet in person with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping after a year of long-distance exchanges.

Denisov then gave the Global Times a third dose of happiness by slamming the civilized world for protesting China’s horrific abuse of the Uyghur Muslims:

When asked about some countries not sending officials and government representatives to the event, the ambassador said that every time a country hosts a large-scale event, there are certain groups of people who want to sabotage the event for narrow political interests.

He added that those efforts are futile as people know that they have no social basis. Those who attempt to undermine China’s interest with so-called diplomatic boycott are actually damaging their own interests, as athletes from those countries will be disappointed at the opening ceremony that they have no support from their countries, he said. 

At last, Denisov said recently he has often been asked what country he supports. “As a Russian, I of course support Russian athletes. But as a Beijing resident, I also support the Chinese team. Thus, the two teams will have my support during the Winter Olympics.” 

Putin himself joined this chorus on Tuesday, lashing out at the U.S. and its allies for “politicizing” the Olympics.

“I consider the main goal of these competitions to attract as many citizens as possible to sport and the strengthening of friendship between peoples. These approaches are shared by the organizers of the upcoming Games, our Chinese friends,” Putin said.

“Together we stand against the politicization of sport and demonstrative boycotts. We support the traditional Olympic values, above all, equality and fairness,” he declared.

Putin’s praise for “equality and fairness” was darkly amusing given that his athletes are required to compete without using the name or flag of their country because the Russians were busted for doping before the Summer Games in Tokyo last year. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) formally banned Russia as a nation from attending the Games.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Monday that Africa has decided not to join President Joe Biden’s diplomatic boycott, to the delight of Chinese state media:

In the last week, Mali, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe have been among the countries on the continent that said the Games would help bring people together.

Staunch ally Zimbabwe, which is not sending a team to compete, said the Games were a chance to “unite the world”.

“I believe that sport and politics don’t mix,” Chinese state news agency Xinhua quoted Zimbabwe Olympic Committee president Thabani Gonye as saying.

Botsang Tshenyego, president of the Botswana National Olympic Committee, also weighed in, saying: “We all agree that sport is not a platform for politics.”

The SCMP noted that only a handful of African countries participate in the Winter Games, so it was easy for Beijing to ensure there would be little African participation in the U.S.-led diplomatic protest.

“China’s financial muscle creates additional incentives for developing countries, in particular, to remain silent, even in the absence of an explicit quid pro quo,” John Calabrese of the Middle East-Asia Project at American University in Washington noted.

At press time, only North Korea has announced a boycott of the Beijing Olympics — to protest the United States — but the IOC banned North Korea from the event last year, anyway.