“The sports sanctions against Russia are not over”, warns Lukas Aubin, doctor in sports geopolitics

The war in Ukraine also impacts the world of sport. Since the start of the fighting and the declaration of annexation of the territories of Donbass and Lugansk by Russia, certainties and sporting events have been called into question. The Champions League final, moved from Saint Petersburg to the Stade de France, the cancellation of European basketball matches or even that of ski events on Russian territory: all the major international sports bodies have taken up the subject.

To answer the questions raised by so many decisions, with UEFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the figurehead, franceinfo: sport interviewed Lukas Aubin, doctor in geopolitics, specialist in sport and Russia.

Franceinfo: sport: Some of the largest international bodies have banned Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Can we speak of unprecedented sanctions in the history of sport?

Lucas Aubin: There was indeed the exclusion of South Africa (from the 1970 Olympics) because of apartheid, but it was not as significant. Here, a good part of the international federations have taken up the cause against Russia and are sanctioning it in a methodical way. First by taking away sports competitions, then by attacking the wallet with the rupture of partnerships, like Manchester United with Aeroflot. Then what about Gazprom and the Champions League? It’s hard to imagine that the final, relocated to the Stade de France, is sponsored by the Russian company…

Which authority has the most weight to make things happen?

It all depends on the contexts and the sporting deadlines. For those who have already spoken, I would say UEFA then the IOC, which is responsible for the global sports movement, and which made a big splash by inviting all the federations to withdraw. But he at less impact than in the past.

Fifa could also have a big impact but is resisting. She wavers, hesitates to cancel or relocate the qualifying matches for the World Cup which are to be played in Russia. It must be said that its president, Gianni Infantino, is not in a favorable situation: he is in Vladimir Putin’s little papers and they often cross paths.

Why are these federations only reacting now when they could have already had their say in 2014, during the episode in Crimea?

The 2014 Russian war narrative was more structured and less crude than today. At the time, there were still people who could understand the Russian situation. At that time, Moscow defended at all costs that “sport is apolitical”. Today, faced with an extraordinary situation of war, the authorities are acting quickly.

Can sport and athletes have their influence in such a situation?

I think yes. They have, for some, a positive aura with the populations. If there is a stance against Russian actions by a renowned athlete, then it can snowball and spread. Sport remains one of the spearheads of Russian patriotism. As this war seems pointless and the Russian population is now less behind its president, it would take little for athletes to speak up.

But what risk, precisely, these athletes to speak out against the inclinations of their president Vladimir Putin?

The Russian people must, according to the regime, support the war because it is “positive” in what Vladimir Putin describes as “demilitarization and denazification” from Ukraine. By refusing this war, iThey engage against Putin, against the Russian regime and must therefore pay the price.

For example, there is the Artemi Panarine case, a few months back. The hockey player called for the release of opponent Alexeï Navalny when he had been locked up. He then spoke directly to President Putin. Some time later, a Russian leader released a case on the sportsman announcing that, ten years ago, Panarine had hit a woman in a bar in Riga (Latvia). All this without providing any facts or proof.

The subject reached the ears of his American club (New York Rangers), which had instantly laid him off before being reinstated a few weeks later. This is what can be called a “Russian kompromat (scandal)” to harm the career of an athlete. Moreover, Artemi Panarine has never been recalled to the national team.