Blood Sports - International Bodies Become Lapdogs of Tyrants and Criminals

Silicon Bites Ep290 | 2026-02-21 | Milan is hosting a festival of “unity” — while Ukraine is hosting funerals. This week, international sport’s governing class has managed a truly grotesque trick that discredits the sporting events their preside over: punishing remembrance of the victim, while rehabilitating symbols of the aggressor. They have sought to strip dignity from the nation defending itself and handed a propaganda triumph to the invading state. In the process they have turned what ought to be a symbol for peace and unity, into a blood sport, with grotesque optics. IOC hypocrisy, Paralympic flag washing, and FIFA’s peace-prize theatre — plus why Ukraine and Europe say the message is simple: this isn’t neutrality… it’s complicity in aggression and illegality. Sports is not neutral, because the participation of an aggressor nation, with an imperial mindset, in any activity, be it sport, culture, literature or film is never neutral, but an extension of their aggression. This is especially true of Russia. (The Washington Post)----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SOURCES:Reuters on Infantino attending Trump-linked “Board of Peace,” IOC President Coventry response, and Trump receiving a FIFA peace prize (reported as awarded in December).AP / Euronews on Heraskevych disqualification over “helmet of memory,” and wider context of political-expression enforcement.AP / ESPN on Fischnaller helmet flag controversy and IOC stance. Reuters / Washington Post / Guardian / Euronews on IPC allowing Russian and Belarusian flags and anthems at 2026 Winter Paralympics, boycott reactions (Ukraine, Italy, EU Commissioner). Sky News / Independent / Al Jazeera on Infantino comments about reconsidering Russia’s football ban and Ukraine’s reaction. U.S. Department of Justice press release (2015) on FIFA indictments; historical reporting on FIFA scandal scale.Guardian on Russia 2018 bid investigation issues (destroyed computers / missing documents).AP on Jack Warner extradition case referencing alleged bribes linked to Russia 2018 support. Britannica overview on IOC corruption history (Salt Lake City bidding scandal).----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------