Sports world call a ban on Russia over 'war' against Ukraine

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been nothing but destruction all over the world. It has caused an economic crisis for the country itself that has declared war against Ukraine. It has severely affected the stock market, too. Several countries have come forward to sideline the Putin-led country.

 

 

Similarly, it has affected the sports world. With the invasion of Ukraine continuing, sports leagues and organizations have begun to isolate Russia’s sports teams. It was first reported that International Olympic Committee has recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian or Belarusian athletes and officials to participate in international competitions “to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants.” Several organizations have taken steps to ban Russian teams and also move scheduled events out of the country while condemning Russia’s actions.

 

 

FIFA, soccer’s apex governing body, announced Monday that it was suspending all Russian teams, both national and club squads, from international competition until further notice. In a joint statement by FIFA and UEFA, which oversees the game in Europe, the groups said they hoped “the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”

 

 

That statement also noted that no international games could be played in Russia and that Russia’s “home games” had to be played at neutral sites with no fans. Russia was scheduled to host Poland and possibly Sweden or the Czech Republic in World Cup qualifiers in March, but the other three teams said they would not play. Last week, UEFA moved the Champions League final, the world’s biggest club match, from St. Petersburg to suburban Paris on May 28.

 

 

The International Ice Hockey Federation suspended all Russian and Belarusian national and club teams from IIHF competitions of all ages. They also withdrew the hosting rights of the 2023 world junior championships from Russia upon urging from the hockey federations of Switzerland, Latvia and Finland.

 

 

The decision affects participation by Russia and Belarus in six IIHF events in 2022, including the men’s and women’s world championships and the men’s and women’s under-18 championships.

 

 

The Dublin-based governing body stated Monday that it was barring Russia and Belarus from all international and cross-border club play. In addition, Russia’s rugby union organization is suspended from World Rugby membership until further notice. World Rugby said it was taking action to “protect the rugby family and take a strong stance against the conflict.”