How petty Putin’s disastrous revival of Soviet ‘Friendship Games’ he bragged would rival Olympics completely failed

FOR over a year Putin has bragged about his own version of the Olympic Games – only to abort them in a humiliating U-turn.

His grand plan to revive the Soviet Friendship Games promised 5,500 athletes competing across 208 disciplines in 21 venues around Russia.

The opening ceremony at the Lenin stadium for the Friendship Games which were held as a substitute for Los Angeles Olympic GamesCredit: Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images

The Friendship Games were held for athletes boycotting the LA OlympicsCredit: Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images

The 1984 Friendship Games were an impressive display from the USSR and Eastern Bloc powersCredit: Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty ImagesIt would be a “record-breaking” ceremony of sporting excellence, the world was told.

Then Vlad kept us guessing, postponing the Friendship Games not once, but twice.

And now, the Kremlin has announced the games have been canned until further notice.

The humiliating decree Vlad signed on Monday suggested the Games had to be postponed to “protect the rights of athletes and sports organisations”.

But a Russia-North Korea wrestling show down is not completely off the cards just yet.

The official statement said the games are only cancelled until Vlad makes a “special decision” to bring them back.

When Russia was “frozen out” of the Paris Olympics over its evil invasion of Ukraine, no one really thought that Putin would take the news graciously.

But neither did they expect what came next.

Vlad decided to revive something called the Friendship Games first dreamt up by the USSR.

The Soviet Union hosted the first Friendship Games in 1984 – and then decided never to put them on again.

The Games – dubbed Friendship-84 – were in response to the US and some of its allies boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

The USSR decided to host an alternative to the 1984 LA Games – a counter Games.

Friendship-84 represented the USSR’s alternative world view to America and was attended by Communist allies – including North Korea, Cuba and East Germany.

Whilst Friendship-84 was not of the same magnitude as the Olympics, it was a major sporting event that attracted some of the best athletes from around the globe.

The retired English long jumper Joyce Hepher competed in the Friendship Games, and looks back upon them as “my Olympics”.

Vlad had similar plans for the Games this time around, and pencilled in the competition for September 2024 – immediately after the Paris Olympics.

In March this year, the International Friendship Association (IFA), organising the games, promised a “record-breaking tournament in terms of its size and the preparation time”.

But the rest of the world didn’t share Russia’s enthusiasm for the plan.

The colossal Lenin Stadium was the venue chosen to host the one-off Friendship GamesCredit: Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images

Members of the public were eager to watch their athletes compete in the Friendship Games after their nations boycotted the LA OlympicsCredit: Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images

The opening ceremony in 1984 was attended by around 100,000 spectators, including future leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the VIP seatsCredit: Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty ImagesThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) blasted the Games as “a cynical attempt by the Russian Federation to politicise sport”.

James Macleod, director of National Olympic Committees (NOC) Relations, described the IFA as “a political organisation funded by the Russian government”.

Things began to unravel for Vlad in July when he broke the news he was postponing the Games until 2025.

Apparently, this was to “maximise athlete and official availability”.

It seemed the IFA had finally twigged it was a bad idea to host a rubbish version of the Olympics directly after the real Olympics.

Then in August, we heard they wouldn’t happen until 2026.

The total reversal unveiled on Monday will no doubt leave Vlad red-faced.

Putin, a keen judo practitioner, is desperate for Russia to be seen as a player on the world sporting stage.

He was thrilled that Russia hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup but suffered a bruised ego when the Russian Grand Prix was pulled.

As Vlad continues to horrify the world with his slaughter campaign in Ukraine, it seems unlikely Russia is about to be welcomed back into the global sporting fold.

It’s back to the drawing board for sad Vlad.

The Kremlin, seen here in 1984, has abandoned plans for a re-run of the Friendship GamesCredit: Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images