Russian athletes were not allowed to compete in the Paralympics. Owner Roman Abramovich sold Chelsea, the English Premier League club.
Biathlon and table tennis were two of the many Olympic sports that were excluded from competition due to the invasion of Ukraine. However, the International Paralympic Committee stated that Russians and Belarusians could compete in Beijing as “neutral competitors” with no national symbols.
Following an appeal by the International Olympic Committee, blanket bans were imposed in track, basketball, and soccer.
However, the IOC left open the possibility that they could compete as neutral athletes in case expulsion was not possible due to short notice.
Many Russian athletes have already arrived in Beijing for the Winter Paralympics, which opens Friday. According to the IPC, they are working hard to bring the Ukrainian team along.
“We fully respect that decision” of Paralympics leaders, IOC president Thomas Bach stated Wednesday during an online briefing to discuss its guidance for sports bodies.
FINA, which regulates swimming, as well as other aquatic sports, has allowed Russians and Belarusians to continue competing as neutral athletes.
International Judo Federation, which had Russian president and ex-judoka Vladimir Putin listed as its “honorary presidencies” up until last week, claimed Wednesday that the IOC’s attempt to exclude Russia from its ranks “is not justified” since it would cause resentment.
The IJF stated that any radical decision to block athletes from participating in sporting competitions would only perpetuate violence and foster injustice for athletes who didn’t participate in any decision about the conflict.
Abramovich, a Russian billionaire businessman, placed Chelsea up for sale in Wednesday’s statement on the club’s website. He promised to use the profits of the sale to fund victims of the conflict in Ukraine. Abramovich and other wealthy Russians have been called out by the British government.
Russian politicians strongly criticize the restrictions on athletes and teams. On Wednesday, striker Artem Dauba, who is the highest scorer for Russia’s national soccer team, also criticized the move.
On Instagram, the Zenit St. Petersburg player stated that he was against any war. He said that war is horrible, but that he considers sporting sanctions discriminatory.
Dzyuba stated, “I oppose discrimination based upon nationality.” “I am proud to be Russian. Russianness is something I love. It’s a shame that athletes are being punished now.
Russians were banned from participating in British motorsport events, putting into question Nikita Mazepin’s ability in Formula One to race at the British Grand Prix in July.
The sport’s international governing body, FIA, stated Tuesday that Mazepin and other Russian drivers can still compete, but a block on cars being painted in national colors would prevent Haas from bringing back his Russian flag-stripe livery, which was removed from last week’s testing.
Motorsport UK took it further by imposing sanctions that prohibited drivers and teams from Russia or Belarus from competing in Britain. The FIA did not immediately respond to a request to comment on its plans for dealing with rules that conflict with national governing bodies.
Although the junior Canadian Hockey League cancelled its Canada-Russia series, it has yet to decide whether or not to ban Russian and Belarusian players in its international draft. CHL stated in a statement, that it will decide on a format for the import draft at a later time.
Invasion of Ukraine also has resulted in a reshaping Russian sports’ corporate ties. Everton , an English soccer team, has ended its sponsorship of companies owned by Alisher Usmanov (a Russian billionaire) who was placed under sanctions by the European Union last week.
This weekend’s Premier League games will be preceded with a show solidarity towards Ukraine. Captains will wear armbands in the yellow and blue of the country’s flag.
EA Sports, a video game publisher, announced that it would eliminate the Russian national teams and clubs from its FIFA series. It also removed the Russia and Belarus hockey teams form its NHL series.
Also, there has been a significant exodus in Russian coaches and players. On Wednesday, former Norwich manager Daniel Farke resigned as the coach for Russian soccer club FC Krasnodar. This was just one day after Markus Gisdol departed as Lokomotiv Moscow’s coach. Yaroslav Rakitskiy was a Ukrainian player at the two European Championships. Zenit cancelled his contract on Wednesday due to family reasons.
