Russian officials have accused the United States and others of rigging the Games after finishing fifth in the Tokyo medal count.
Russian-born athletes competed under the Russian Olympic Committee name in Japan due to punishment for administering a state sanctioned doping program. The ban ends in 2022. The country finished the Games with 20 gold 28 silver and 23 bronze which is the lowest finish since the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.
According to The Daily Beast, Russian lawmaker Aleksei Zhuravlyov, described other competing countries at the Games as “a pack of Russophobic beasts, headed by the United States.”
His sentiments were echoed by Olga Skabeeva, who is a television host of Russia’s stated-owned television channel. She said the Summer Games were the “clearest example of total Russophobia.”
“These Olympic Games stink,” Skabeeva said. “Global sports forever ceased being an honest competition, turning into a cheap political farce. At the behest of Americans, the International Olympic Committee took away two gold medals from Russian.”
Most of the controversy surrounded the ruling around three-time rhythmic gymnastics world champion Dina Averina, who won silver behind Israel’s Linoy Ashram in the women’s all-around event.
Russia officially protested the result, saying the judging was biased because Ashram dropped her ribbon as her routine ended. However, Averina won gold at the 2018 world championships after also dropping her ribbon.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Tokyo judges committed “fraud in front of the whole world.”
Deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy added: “Americans are freaks. Moral freaks. Why are we even discussing this parade of freaks and perverts?”
There was no love lost between the American and Russian athletes in Tokyo. Ryan Murphy, who won bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke and silver in the 200m backstroke, took a dig at Russian Evgeny Rylov, who won gold in both of those events.
“I am swimming in a race that’s probably not clean,” Murphy said.
Fellow swimmer Lily King agreed with the assessment describing the Russian ban as a “slap on the wrist”.
“There are a lot of people here that should not be here,” she said on her way home from Tokyo.
“I wasn’t racing anyone from a country who should have been banned and instead got a slap on the wrist and rebranded their national flag. So, I personally wasn’t as affected. But Ryan was. I feel like that has tainted your Games, and for that I’m so sorry.
“There were, I’m sure, a lot of people from certain countries competing this week that probably shouldn’t have been here.”
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