Posted on 02/06/2022 1:06:13 PM PST by algore
Olympic chiefs have denied they were responsible for allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to flounce around the Olympic opening ceremony without a mask.
Putin, it was revealed, was invited by the Chinese Government rather than Olympic chiefs and was not on their guest list.
A source said Putin declined the offer join every other person in the VIP box and the iconic Bird's Nest Stadium in masking up.
He had earlier been in talks with China President Xi Jinping where the two leaders talked about the Covid-19 global battle to curtail the virus.
An Olympics spokesman told Mail Online: 'He (Putin) was invited by the Chinese government and therefore subject to the Chinese state protocol.'
Pictures from yesterday's opening ceremony also showed Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan not wearing a mask at certain points.
Putin and Khan are amid the world leaders attending the Olympics despite many countries' diplomatic boycott of the games.
Despite not being Winter Olympics powerhouses, leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE are all attending, Al Jazeera reported.
The five Central Asian nations - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan - are also ignoring the boycott, as well as Argentina and Ecuador.
Putin and Jinping made quite the statement as the pair met before the opening ceremony yesterday and were both pictured not wearing masks.
The Russian strongman - who attended despite Russia being officially banned due to doping - sat with his arms folded and eyes closed for several seconds on TV feeds as Ukraine's athletes processed into the Bird's Nest stadium on Friday.
Russia does have athletes at the Games, but they are forced to compete as the 'Russian Olympic Committee' and cannot use the country's flag on their uniforms or play the national anthem when they win.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
When I was in the Air Force on one of our alerts a shopmate was assigned to “guard” the front door to the squadron building when the Chief of Staff of the Air Force made a surprise visit.
He told the Chief of Staff, “Sir, you have to go around to the back and go through the ‘decontamination’ process.” He did. He went around to the back. There was none of this, “Do you know who I am?” sh!t. I’m not sure today’s top brass would do that.
LoL, Brandon would’ve gotten lost after the first hallway.
So, by extension, anyone not on the guest list could skip wearing the mask?
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