IOC urges federations to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes; rugby, badminton latest sports to follow suit

representative photo. Reuters

Geneva: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday urged sports federations and organizers to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Just hours later, FIFA banned Russia from the 2022 World Cup as soccer’s world governing body and UEFA joined forces to ban Russian national teams and clubs from all international competitions.

Russia was due to take part in the World Cup play-offs this month, but plans to play on neutral territory were dismissed as “unacceptable” by rivals Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all affected people in Ukraine,” FIFA and UEFA said in a statement.

Rugby’s world governing body banned Russia and Belarus from all international rugby “until further notice” on Tuesday.

Russia’s membership in World Rugby has also been suspended indefinitely, meaning the country’s slim hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in France are over.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) also canceled all sanctioned tournaments in Russia and Belarus on Monday, barred them from hosting future tournaments “until further notice” and ordered their flags and anthems banned from all BWF tournaments.

Meanwhile, the IOC said it faced a “dilemma that cannot be resolved”.

“While athletes from Russia and Belarus could continue to participate in sporting events, many athletes from Ukraine are unable to do so due to the attack on their country,” it said in a statement.

“In order to protect the integrity of world sports competitions and for the safety of all participants, the IOC EB recommends that International Sports Federations and organizers of sports events do not invite or allow the participation of athletes and Russian and Belarusian officials in international competitions.”

If the international federations follow the advice of the IOC and football action en masse, Russia would join Slobodan Milosevic’s Yugoslavia and apartheid South Africa as major sporting outcasts.

The IOC has also withdrawn the Olympic Order, its highest award, from all high-ranking Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin.

ROC says IOC ‘contradicts’ Olympic spirit

Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), said the IOC’s recommendations “contradict” the Olympic charter and the “spirit of the Olympic movement.”

“We totally disagree with them,” Pozdnyakov said in a statement.

The IOC said that if it is not possible for “organizational or legal reasons” to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing, sports officials should do “everything in their power” to prevent athletes from the two countries from participating under the flags of their countries.

It is a matter of particular urgency in relation to the Winter Paralympics, which start on Friday in Beijing.

The body “reiterated its full support for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Games.”

Widespread calls for peace

Last week, the IOC urged all international sports federations to cancel upcoming events in Russia, angry that Moscow violated an “Olympic Truce” with its attack on Ukraine.

Prominent Russian sports stars have not been shy about expressing concern about Putin’s invasion.

Andrey Rublev, who won the Dubai ATP title on Saturday, Russian soccer international veteran Fedor Smolov, US-based ice hockey great Alex Ovechkin and cyclist Pavel Sivakov, who rides for the Ineos team, have expressed his desire for peace.

Several countries had already moved to ban Russian competitors from entering their territory.

On Monday, Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina became the first tennis player to say she will refuse to play Russian and Belarusian opponents. She was due to face Russia’s Anastasia Potopova in the first round in Monterrey on Tuesday.

UEFA terminated its contract with Russian state energy giant Gazprom with immediate effect. The deal was widely believed to be worth around €40 million ($45 million) a year.

Last week, European soccer’s governing body stripped St. Petersburg of hosting this season’s Champions League final on May 28 at the Gazprom Arena, giving it to Paris.

The International Ice Hockey Federation banned all Russian national teams and clubs from participating in its events, while the organizers of the EuroLeague and EuroCup basketball competitions announced that Russian teams had been suspended.

The Formula One Russian Grand Prix scheduled for September 25 was canceled last week.

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