The Moscow Playbook: How Russia Used, Abused, and Transformed Sports in the Hunt for Power (443)

Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times

Ian Sanders

History, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 865 Ratings

🗓️ 14 February 2026

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I speak with Bruce Berglund, the author of The Moscow Playbook: How Russia Used, Abused, and Transformed Sports in the Hunt for Power, which is a fascinating journey through the world of Soviet sports and its intricate ties to politics as a means of soft power and national pride. We learn how the Soviets achieved strategic advantage through women's sports, the abuse of amateur status, the controversial topic of doping and how sports science revolutionised the performance of athletes. Listeners will also hear about the iconic "Miracle on Ice" ice hockey game in 1980, where the U.S. amateur team defeated the seasoned Soviet professionals, and how this event was perceived on both sides of the Cold War divide. Buy the book here and support the podcast Episode extras here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode443 Go to https://surfshark.com/coldwardeal or use code COLDWARDEAL at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Help me preserve Cold War history via a simple monthly donation, You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONTINUE THE COLD WAR CONVERSATION BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter/X ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
0:06.3	Abby's just woken up. It's 7.31 and she's forgotten to ring the doctor. There's no point ringing now. She needs to get to work. But she's not worried. She's got an HSBC Premier bank account with access to digital GP appointments, plus two second opinions a year should she need them.
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0:35.9	Sophie Tom and the kids are standing by the luggage carousel waiting for Sophie's bag. Looks like she's going to be wearing Tom's clothes for a week, but she's not worried. Their HSBC Premier bank account has comprehensive worldwide travel insurance that covers them, the kids and grandkids if they had them. Everything's premier when your bank account is. Search HSBC Premier, HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity.
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1:06.0	Romanov wrote in his memoir that he would have to write a letter directly to Stalin anytime
1:12.9	Soviet athletes competed internationally, guaranteeing that the Soviets would win.
1:20.3	This is Cold War Conversations.
1:23.8	If you're new here, you've come to the right place to listen to Cold War history.
1:28.0	Please make sure you follow us in your podcast app so you don't miss future episodes.
1:32.6	I speak with Bruce Bergland, the author of The Moscow Playbook,
1:36.8	how Russia used, abused and transformed sports in the hunt for gold,
1:41.2	which is a fascinating journey through the world of Soviet sports and its intricate
1:45.4	ties to politics as a means of soft power and national pride. We learn how the Soviets
1:51.7	achieved strategic advantage through women's sports, the abuse of amateur status, doping,
1:57.5	and how sports science revolutionized the performance of athletes.
	...

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