Putin could have spiked the proverbial football once it was revealed that the World Anti-Doping Agency had exaggerated and fabricated allegations against Russia. He responded in a much more constructive way.
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
Putin is and remains the coolest of cucumbers.
We admit that we were fuming when we learned that the World Anti-Doping Agency had quietly admitted that it had "insufficient" evidence to bring cases against most Russian athletes accused of doping.
In other words: WADA convinced the International Olympic Committee to impose blanket bans on Russian Olympic teams simply because they were Russian.
Pretty slimy if you ask us.
Here's the thing, though: Any objective observer can see that WADA and the IOC have been caught in a giant, xenophobic lie.
How should Putin respond? Should he drag these two organizations through the mud, or take the high road and let WADA's outrageous lies and deceit speak for itself?
You already know what he did.
Putin is a judo master. He doesn't waste time kicking his opponents when they're already in a fetal position.
Instead of taking a victory lap, Putin called a meeting and demanded better mechanisms for detecting doping among Russian athletes going forward:
"We must pay heed to what this committee says, despite its shortcomings."
This is classic Putin.
He never stoops to the west's level of sniveling self-righteousness.
When Washington announced that it was expelling 35 Russian diplomats and seizing two Russian properties, Putin not only refused to retaliate, but also made a point to invite the children of American diplomats to the Kremlin's New Year celebration.
Putin doesn't need to sink to WADA's level. He doesn't need to start vendettas.
The reason is pretty simple: The west doesn't need help destroying its own reputation and standing in the international community.
Like we said: Putin knows judo. And he's damn good at it.
UPDATE: There's been some great discussion about this. Here's our response.
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
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