February 24, 2022 will forever be remembered as the day of the invasion of the Russian army to Ukraine. Afte initial shock, this event provoked a unique reaction throughout the international community and united mainly the Western countries in a way like never before. The invasion of Russian troops has so far resulted in various financial sanctions aimed either at Russia as a country or at the Russian leader Vladimir Putin and influential people around him, demonstrations in European cities, material and financial assistance to Ukraine and, above all, a huge wave of solidarity towards Ukraine and its population manifested by the inhabitants of foreign states all around the world.
The current situation is without a question unprecedented in today's 21st century and an important element which is undoubtedly affecting its development is today's world of media and the fact that information about events in Ukraine are being projected to the rest of the world almost immediately. The answer from the outside is therefore undoubtedly more intense than it would be in the past and it affects all parts of today's world - including sport.
The position and role of IOC
First of all it shall be mentioned that the above mentioned events occurred during the Olympic Truce which was adopted in the form of resolution by the UN General Assembly on December 2, 2021 by consensus of all 193 UN Member States - including Russia. The Olympic Truce was then supposed to start 7 days before the Olympic Games on February 4, 2022 and end seven days after the Paralympic Games which started today, on March 4, 2022.
The IOC was quite prompt when reacting to the situation already on the first day of the Russian invasion when it expressed its concerns about the safety of the Olympic Community in Ukraine. It further established a task force to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine and to coordinate the humanitarian assistance within the members of the Olympic Community. During the following days the position of the IOC has only sharpened when finally on February 28, 2022 the IOC called for Russia and Belarus to be excluded from sports and urged sports bodies to keep out the Russian athletes and officials from international events when stated that it this step was needed to “protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants.”
The IOC further stated that these measures were taken with a heavy heart but the impact of war in Ukraine outweighs the potential damage to the affected athletes. The IOC then stressed out that where exclusion was not possible due to legal or organizational reasons, then the Russian and Belarussian athletes should compete as neutral athletes with no national anthem, flag or symbols including the above mentioned Paralympic Games in Beijing. However, according to the latest information, Russian and Belarusian athletes were eventually expelled from the Paralympics, both due to current developments and pressure from other teams.
At the same time the IOC withdrew the Olympic Order which was given to Vladimir Putin in 2001 and other Russian sports officials since then.
More than 25 international sports federations have imposed either partial sanctions or outright bans on Russian athletes and teams. Most sanctions are related to the ban on participation of athletes in international competitions or their participation under a neutral flag.
We have seen sanctions in international and European football, in volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, athletics, rugby, skiing… Sailing, ice skating, badminton and rowing have also become a taboo for Russian athletes.
Some federations have imposed geographically limited sanctions or sanctions relating to team participation in competitions. The International Tennis Federation, for example, prohibited the participation of Russian athletes only in team competitions, while the limitations in grass hockey and handball are only imposed for tournaments under the European federation. In contrast, other sports have extended prohibitions on participation even to amateur athletes - MMA is an example of such measures.
Some federations have allowed the participation of Russian athletes under a neutral status - e.g. water sports such as swimming, synchronized swimming, diving, water polo, horse riding, individual tennis tournaments and motosports. Other federations, however, are yet to issue a statement regarding the war and its consequences on the sport and athletes' participation. An example is the International Golf Federation which as of 2 March has not yet issued a statement regarding the conflict and any potential or upcoming measures regarding the two national federations.
FOOTBALL
The reaction of FIFA and UEFA
UEFA's move in the form of removing the Champions League Finals from Russia to France was probably the first reaction in the world of sport. Regarding FIFA, despite its moderate reaction in the beginning of the conflict, it was one of the first international federations that followed the above-mentioned recommendation of the IOC. The final decision of FIFA and UEFA is that Russian national and club teams are suspended from all international football competitions until further notice. That among the others means that Russia has been expelled from the FIFA 2022 World Cup when the men's national team was supposed to play in qualifying playoffs in March for the World Cup in Qatar and the women's team had already qualified for the European Championship to be held in July in England. At the same time this decision affects all Russian clubs involved in European competitions including Spartak Moscow in the Europa League.
It shall be mentioned that even before the decision of international football federations, the national federations of Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden - so all countries that were supposed to face Russia in FIFA World Cup Qualification, declined to play against the Russian team. Both presidents - Gianni Infantino and Aleksandr Ceferin then stated that they hope that “the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people”.
Leagues and rest of the football world
Looking beyond the rest of the football world, over the past weekend we have witnessed a huge wave of solidarity of players in club competitions all over the world, either in the form of financial contributions from the ticketing or a symbolic act in the form of wearing jerseys in Ukrainian colors.
Furthermore, the clubs began to withdraw from contracts with Russian sponsors - as an example we can mention Manchester United that has withdrawn Russian Aeroflot's sponsorship agreement when the club's spokesperson stated the following: “In light of events in Ukraine, we have withdrawn Aeroflot's sponsorship rights. We share the concerns of our fans around the world and extend our sympathies to those affected.”
Last but not least we shouldn't forgot about the fact that the clubs began with charity work, when for example Atletico de Madrid started a collaboration with Save the Children to help children in Ukraine when this organization is deploying its emergency humanitarian aid in Ukraine and is reinforcing its operations in Poland, Romania and Lithuania to care for the displaced population.
BASKETBALL
One day later, therefore March 1, 2022, the International Basketball Federation - FIBA announced basically the same as FIFA and UEFA, namely that all Russian teams and officials are no longer allowed to compete in FIBA Basketball and 3x3 Basketball competitions.
The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague accepted similar measures when all the games of three Russian CKSA Moscow, UNICS Kazan and Zenit Saint Petersburg and 7 Days EuroCup's Lokomotiv Cuban have been suspended. The EuroLeague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertemeu commented on these measures when stated:
“In a situation like the one we have today, it is our responsibility to support these communities and to voice their beliefs. Sports is not politics and it should not be interfered with in politics, but we cannot remain passive when witnessing such a terrible social crisis with so much suffering of innocent people and, at the same time, at the same time, seeing the support that our communities all across Europe have clearly expressed towards the Ukrainian population. I want to make clear that we are not blaming our Russian clubs, their management or team staff for any of these developments. Unfortunately, however, the gravity of the situation has left us no choice but to suspend all games involving Russian teams, at least for the time being, and to hope that this situation ends as soon as possible."
VOLLEYBALL
The world of volleyball did not stay behind. Firstly the International Volleyball Federation - FIVB, following the example of UEFA, removed the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship from Russia. The FIVB is then currently seeking for an alternative host nation to ensure, by its own words, that the global volleyball family feels safe and proud to participate in a joyous and peaceful festival of sport. Few hours later the FIVB declared that Russia and Belarus are not - with immediate effect, eligible for international and continental competitions.
The Board of Administrative Members of the European Volleyball Confederation - CEV, then accepted almost identical decisions and the Russian and Belarusian national teams, clubs and athletes are not eligible to participate in any competition under the CEV's umbrella until further notice.
ICE HOCKEY
The International Hockey Federation - IIHF as an international federation of a sport that could be considered a phenomenon in Russia followed the above described procedures of other federations and announced that both Russia and Belarus are currently banned from its events, once again, until further notice.
Moving across the ocean, the National Hockey League - NHL suspended its relationships with Russian business partners. The NHL's press release expressed concerns regarding invasion to Ukraine and urged a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible. Moreover, the NHL expressed its concerns about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL clubs and not on behalf of Russia when understanding that the players and their families are currently being placed in an extremely difficult position. In the following days NHL is going to pull the streaming of its games from Russian-based Internet company Yandex for the “foreseeable future”. Last but not least the league plans to withdraw from its relationship with Russia betting partner Liga Stavok.
SKATING
The International Skating Union was one of the many international federations to follow the IOC's position. On 1 March the ISU released a statement in which it reiterated its solidarity with those affected and reaffirmed its support of ISU Members in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Speed Skating Federation and the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation.
The ISU pointed out that it had received appeals from some of its Members calling for a ban on the participation of athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus in ISU events and other international skating competitions.
It did not take long for the federation to answer to these appeals and take action. The Union stated that "in order to protect the integrity of ice skating competitions and for the safety of all the participants of international ice skating competitions" the ISU Council has decided to immediately and until further notice, suspend the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus.
Interestingly, the ISU stated that it will continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and its impact on ISU activity and if necessary, the federation will take additional steps. It is unclear whether such steps would involve further sanctions and potential expulsion of Russia and Belarus from the ISU, or it would rather focus on protecting the athletes affected by the conflict.
GYMNASTICS
In a brief statement from 26 February, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) expressed its concerns regarding the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
The federation was quick to take action only two days after the invasion began. These measures involve the following:
no display of Russian and Belarusian national flags or national anthems at any FIG events
All FIG World Cup and World Challenge Cup events planned to take place in both countries are canceled and no other events will be allocated to these countries until further notice
All FIG events planned to take place in Russia and Belarus are removed from the FIG calendar and will no longer be recognised by the federation
Despite FIG being the second international federation to show position, the federation did not go as far as banning Russian and potentially Belarusian athletes that, for example in rhythmic gymnastics, most often occupy the top 3 positions in international competitions. It is important to note that the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation and athletes belonging to it have stayed silent. Perhaps this is due to the position of power which the President of the federation, Irina Viner-Usmanova, holds - married to one of the many Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov.
BIATHLON
On 26 February the International Biathlon Union (IBU) released a statement following a virtual meeting of its Executive Board in which it expressed its deepest sympathies for all those affected and offered practical support to the "Ukrainian biathlon family".
The Ukrainian Biathlon Federation has informed IBU that its athletes will not participate in any of the remaining competitions in the World Cup or IBU Cup this season. In turn, the EB decided that it will offer financial, logical and technical support to Ukraininan athletes and the federation once the situation allows for the country's athletes' participation in biathlon training and competitions.
Nonetheless, the IBU decided to take measures which included no display of Russian or Belarussian flags, symbols or national emblems, Russian and Belarusian team clothing shall be neutral in colors, the anthems of both countries will not be played at IBU events and the athletes themselves will be neutral and relays cannot score Nation Cup or Relay score points.
However, a few days later, on 2 March, the Executive Board of the federation decided to take further and more stringent measures in light of the ongoing war. The federation announced that it will not allow participation of any Russian or Belarusian athletes or the countries' officials at its international events until further notice.The IBU stated that it will further discuss a potential suspension of the two national federations' IBU memberships.
Biathlon is one of the sports whose athletes joined the war to protect their nation and one of the sports who has lost an incredible athlete to this war. Yevhen Malyshev has sadly died this week just at the young age of 19, while protecting his country and serving in the Ukrainian military. His former teammates took to social media to state that "Heroes never die" and honor their friend and teammate. The IBU Executive Board expressed its condolences…
TAEKWON-DO
The International Taekwon-do Federation also expressed its support and solidarity with the members of the Ukrainian ITF, practitioners and most importantly, the people of Ukraine. The ITF's Board of Directors is scheduled to meet on 6 March (Sunday) to discuss any further operational measures, if needed.
Interestingly enough, it is reported in the media that the ITF revoked Vladimir Putin's honorary black belt. As a sport that masters the art of self-defense, no person, who in contrast, masters the art of war crimes and mass murder shall be honored by taekwon-do.
ROWING
On 1 March World Rowing officially condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its violation of the Olympic Truce. The federation, like many others, has stated that it will follow the recommendations issued by the IOC on 28 February. In light of those, World Rowing confirmed that it has banned the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in any of its international competitions until further notice. The international federation has also stated that it may further adapt its measures according to future developments of the war - whether this being further sanctions or a potential lift of the ban. Nonetheless, no rowing events will take place in Russia or Belarus in 2022.
FIA and FINA playing the neutral card
One of the few international sports federations that took a different approach is the International Automobile Federation - FIA. Even though FIA condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and confirmed the cancellation of Russia's Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Russian and Belarusian drivers are so far allowed to continue competing within the international competitions but only if they act as neutral athletes under the FIA flag.
FINA, the international swimming federation, had a very mild approach at first as it refused to cancel the world championship and the world junior championship in Russia and it shall be said that it was subject to criticism because of that. Nevertheless, as the Russian invasion proceeded, FINA joined the team of international sports federations and canceled all events either organized by Russia or against Russian teams. However the international swimming federation stated that both, Russian and Belarussian swimmers can compete under neutral flag be that as individuals or as a part of a team.
FIS
An interesting thing happened during the World Cup in SkiCross in Russian Sunny Valley. The race was originally planned on February 25, 2022, therefore one day after the first RUssian attacks. However, the athletes showed incredible cohesion when they decided that they wouldn't compete as a form of protest. Thus, only 6 competitors entered the race - all of Russian nationality.
POSITION OF THE ATHLETES
Speaking about athletes, the world was waiting for their own personal reactions. It was on the same day of the invasion when the Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev became a World number one in tennis. Thus we did not have to wait long for his statement and he commented on the matter at a press conference after the match that secured him the world tennis leadership. Within his speech he looked greatly shaken and stated the following:
“Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy. By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many countries. It's just not easy to hear all this news. I'm all for peace.”
His teammate Andrey Rublev then wrote “No War Please” on the TV camera a few seconds after he won the semifinal at the Dubai Championships.
An athlete on whom all eyes were fixed was Alexander Ovechkin, who is publicly a long-time supporter of Vladimir Putin. Even though he stated that he is against the war no matter who are the parties of the conflict, when they asked him who he was supporting, he stated that he is a Russian and it's not something he can control. Moreover, he still has a picture with Vladimir Putin as a profile picture on his instagram account. Unfortunately, a similar position was taken by Russian silver medalist from the London Olympic Games, Daria Dmitrieva. Despite stating that she is against war - a statement that seemed quite hypocritical, she openly spoke against Ukraine and its people, while spreading misinformation. Daria expressly said she supports Vladimir Putin and called on society to consolidate around him.
Athens Olympic Games champion and rumoured to be in an intimate relationship with Vladimir Putin, Alina Kabaeva, reacted strongly to the sanctions imposed on Russian athletes, calling them "the most shameful page in the history of sports". She went further on to say that the world's solidarity is as two-faced as their fight for clean sport. Similarly to Daria Dmitrieva, Alina Kabaeva did not think twice about spreading misinformation and gladly did so before Russian media.
On the other hand there are numerous athletes who are against the conflict and publicly support Ukraine, whether it is support on social media, financial aid or initiatives as a video made jointly by Ukrainian footballers calling on Russia to stop the conflict and Russian footballers to express their opposition to the ongoing war.
To conclude, the world is currently upside down and as already said, the Russia-Ukraine conflict affects all components of daily life. As every war there are two camps with different views and requirements. However, what can be considered as a positive element, is that the camp against Vladimir Putin is much bigger and unified than ever before. The whole world can thus only hope that all the coercive means, including the sporting ones, ensure that this unnecessary conflict will end soon and the world will get back to “normal”.