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Do you think they are supporting Russia by letting him play while he is a Russian citizen?

So why do you think French clubs are letting him play in their leagues? Are they supporting Russia?

Do you think Sidorenko should be allowed to play in French league Pro A?

This by the way is not the first time this issue as come on TTD, the thread is an off shoot of the recent US Smash tournament thread, some posters there didn't like the fact that Sidorenko was being allowed to play so I moved it over here. Please keep it civil - gracias.

And you seriously think Sidorenko is going to go away quietly and these issues don't need a place to live? Other than a forum wide ban on politics, there is no serious alternative. This is not the first time this has come up on TTD and it won't be the last as long as the Sidorenko, Grebnev...

Ultimately these are all political discussions. But the sport and the ability of the sport's body to defend itself against the arguments of the opposition matter. And table tennis could not show that there was a significant risk to accommodating Russian athletes while sports like football did...

Sora is being given a ton or runway.... will he take advantage?

Give us a break, they were preparing him for LA 2028.

OK. Please read what I wrote originally carefully, I was speaking about Sidorenko, not the Russian government. English is not your first language I guess, and I don't know if Chrome is translating me correctly, but you missed my point.

That is a more nuanced argument and it is one I can agree with. My main counterpoint is that sports are not always about the organization, they are also about the individual. If Sidorenko is not playing in a Russian league etc., he has done the best he can. If he is going back and forth and...

People infer a lot of things from body language that are not clearly true. Also, Ma Long did not have the audience watching him at his age that Sora does now. My main point is that younger players are immature by definition. The result is the most important thing, not the coping mechanism -...

Politics is really insane.

Unambiguous is yes or no. He didn't say yes or no. My point is simple - if Russian athletes are to be attacked for supposedly supporting the Russian government, then what about countries that you know are supporting the Russian government? Do you want to ban athletes from those countries as...

I just want to understand how far you want to go. China is supporting the Russian economy. North Korea is sending troops in support of Russia. Since you want to hold Russian table tennis players accountable as a moral stance, I Want to understand your morality on those countries.

I understand your position completely. I take them seriously just to make it clear that they are not being logical, they are being largely emotional.

North Korea is sending troops/weapons to support Russia no? China is propping up the Russian economy and protecting it from the brunt of US and European sanctions. So you are holding them accountable too?

These are difficult questions and there is no correct answer, everyone answers to their God and their conscience. In the real world, people may vote for Hitler (and there are always people who did not) and then some of them may change their minds when they see things that they never anticipated...

So you are protesting China and North Korea playing in WTT, ITTF and Olympics as well?

Some athletes who have no family in Russian/Belarus have. But for people with family and people without sufficient wealth, that is very risky. You can get family members killed. Again, this is not how the world works. It's not like table tennis players are millionaires.

This is how the real world works, I feel your pain, but it is not an argument against how the real world works. I am okay with your issues with Vlad playing, but I cannot in good conscience given my experiences hold him responsible for the actions of his government. That is just not how the...