Opinion | Far-reaching Gazprom deals show Russia’s state-backed sports sponsorship soft power play is flexing its muscles

The imagery used in the poster prompted all manner of discussion on news and social media. Consensus seemed to be the semiotics of it hark back to communist era Soviet Union, when the country was in its pomp and at the height of its global power. In other words, the inference is Russia wants to be considered great again.

For a world now familiar with photos documenting Vladimir Putin’s half-naked jaunts into the Russian countryside, this will hardly be a surprise.

Putin’s annexation of Crimea, the massing of troops in strategic locations along the European Union’s eastern border, and general sentiment that Russia interfered in the last US presidential election, all reinforce a feeling that a new Russia is flexing its muscles.

Sport has been a key component of Putin’s attempts to reinvigorate his country. The Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 was perhaps the most tangible, and ostentatious, manifestation of Russia’s desire to present a strong, positive imageto the world.

The event was arguably the most expensive sports mega-event in history, though it has been subsequently tarnished now that we know many Russian athletes were systematically doping during the event, something the Federal Assembly vehemently contests.