The Ice Hockey World Championship in Finland, from which Russia was excluded for political reasons, initially seemed like fertile ground for scandals. The first to distinguish themselves were the hosts of the tournament, who hung out the state flag used by the military department in their locker room. No matter how the Finnish functionaries justify themselves, this act of passive aggression performed by their team still looks provocative.

However, major sporting events have always been a platform for all sorts of statements. Various manipulations with flags are a very effective technique in this regard. For example, a year ago at the World Cup in Latvia, a scandalous story happened with the Russian tricolor.

The authorities of Riga shamelessly lowered the Russian flag near the hotel where the participating teams lived. But they promised not to!

Belarus suffers first

By that time, our country had already been banned from using national symbols at major international tournaments by decision of WADA. However, official sports authorities have always emphasized that the demonstration of state attributes is prohibited precisely during the competition.

Only now the authorities of Latvia have decided to act in their own way. First, they took up Belarus – apparently in order to probe the boundaries of what is permitted. On May 24, it became known that the flag of the country near the hotel where the hockey teams lived was lowered, and another white-red-white one was raised instead. The mayor of Riga, Mārtiņš Stakis, subsequently openly admitted that this was a political action.

Martins Stakis / Photo: © Wikimedia Commons

Promises are worthless

On the same day, our flag was also taken. The city authorities lowered the tricolor and replaced it with a neutral one – that is, with the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). Perhaps no one would have paid attention to this if this attack had not been so demonstrative. Especially as the Latvian party before it asserted: national flags can be used in registration of streets. The Russian Embassy immediately reacted to the incident in a rather harsh manner:

– What is it – the inability to keep one’s word and defend one’s own principles, a banal inconsistency or a provocative trick for the sake of a momentary political situation? – quotes the statement of our diplomats RBC.

The then head of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Rene Fasel condemned the actions of the Riga authorities. In his opinion, hockey has become a tool for Latvian politicians, who in a few weeks were to have elections to local governments. Fazel asked to return the Belarusian flag to its place (not a word about the Russian one) or lower the banner of the IIHF, which considers itself an apolitical organization. Mayor Stakis went on principle and chose the second option.

The Finns, on the other hand, never dreamed of such audacity: the hosts of the current World Cup just replaced their own civilian flag with its military version, and not even publicly, but within the walls of the team locker room. However, the tournament in Finland has just begun – will there be more?