More and more sports are heeding the International Olympic Committee’s call to ban Russian athletes from competing in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has been banned from participating in international skating, skiing, basketball, athletics and some tennis competitions, after being banned the day before competitions in soccer and hockey – the favorite team sport of Vladimir Putin. These decisions follow the IOC’s request to international sports federations to exclude Russian athletes from the events they organise.
The International Skating Union has advised that no athletes from Russia or Belarus “will be invited or permitted to participate” in any events until further notice.
“The ISU Council reiterates its solidarity with all those affected by the conflict in Ukraine and our hearts go out to all the Ukrainian people and the country,” the ISU said in a statement.
Belarus has been an important ally of Russia in its attack on Ukraine.
The World Figure Skating Championships are scheduled for this month in Montpellier, France. The ISU decision means Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova and her 15-year-old teammate Kamila Valieva, at the center of an unresolved doping case at the Winter Olympics last month, will be barred from competition.
Also remember that Montreal will host the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships from March 18 to 20.
Russia has been strongly critical of the sanctions imposed.
“Our country has always adhered to the principle that sport is above politics, but we are constantly drawn into politics, because they understand the importance of sport in the life of our Russian people,” said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, who was stripped of an IOC honor awarded for hosting the 2014 Sochi Olympics, at a meeting of the Ministry of Sports.
Tennis players from Russia and Belarus, including Russian world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, can still take part in ATP and WTA tournaments, including Grand Slams, but are excluded from Davis Cup the Billie Jean King Cup until further notice. The Russian players won both team competitions last year and have already qualified for this year’s finals as defending champions.
In Norway, Russian cross-country skiers have had to return home after being barred from competition by the International Ski Federation.
The decision comes after a three-day dispute with Norwegian ski officials, who argued they would refuse to let Russians and Belarusians race even if the governing body maintained its previous policy of allowing them to participate as neutral athletes.
“First of all, I’m happy that FIS has made this decision,” said Norwegian Ski Federation President Erik Røste, who also sits on the organization’s board of directors. Then I have to be honest and say it took too long. »
The position of the FIS changed on Tuesday morning when its president, Johan Eliasch, took part in a conference call organized by the IOC with the governing bodies of Olympic sports.
In athletics, Russia has been suspended since 2015 following a doping scandal but allowed to compete as “authorized neutral athletes”. On Tuesday, the sport opted for a blanket ban from Russia and Belarus.
The International Athletics Federation is led by Sebastian Coe. As an athlete, Coe had defied calls for a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan and won a gold medal in the 1500 meters.
“I have spoken out against the practice of politicians targeting athletes and sport to make political arguments while other sectors continue their activities,” Coe said. It is different this time as governments, corporations and other international organizations have imposed sanctions and measures against Russia across all sectors. Sport must join these efforts to end this war and restore peace. We cannot and must not abstain. »
Russia has also been suspended by the International Basketball Federation. This will affect Russia’s bid to qualify for the Men’s World Cup next year. A Russia qualifier against the Netherlands was already called off last week. The Russian women’s team qualified for the World Cup in September.
The International Volleyball Federation has also announced that it has deprived Russia of the organization of the men’s world championships in August and September and that it will seek one or more other host countries.
“It would be impossible to prepare and organize the World Championships in Russia because of the war in Ukraine”, mentioned the FIVB board of directors.
Volleyball has also suspended Russian teams and clubs from international events, while rowing and badminton have decided to exclude Russian athletes from their competitions.
Swimming has so far chosen to ignore the IOC’s recommendation to ban Russians. FINA said it would allow swimmers from Russia and Belarus to participate “as neutral athletes, competing under the FINA flag and with the FINA anthem.”
The FINA website still says Russia will host the World Short Course Championships in December.
The swimming body, however, said it had withdrawn an honor awarded to Putin in 2014.
Russian athletes have already arrived in China for the Paralympic Winter Games, which open on Friday. They are expected to compete as the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), with the IOC having opened the door to a possible exemption for events starting at short notice. The Ukrainian team is not yet in Beijing, but organizers said they expect the country’s athletes to arrive in time.
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee has said it does not want the Russian team to compete in the Paralympic Games in Beijing.
The governing bodies of three Olympic sports — fencing, shooting and boxing — are headed by Russians. None have yet banned the country’s athletes from competing.
The invasion of Ukraine has also led some sponsors and companies to cut ties. Adidas, the maker of the Russian soccer team’s jerseys, has announced that it is now suspending its partnership with the federation.
Ellingworth is based in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Journalists Jan Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Rob Harris, in London, also contributed to this article.