On the 24th February, Russia launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine in an attempt to 'demilitarise' the country. Responding to Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO, Russia invaded in efforts of their own security.
Since then, the world has responded by placing tough actions on Russia and Russian oligarchs. Whether it's been economic disturbances or sanctions overseas, many areas of life in Russia have been disrupted. An area that has taken a big hit is, of course, sport.
In the last three weeks, various tournaments and championships have announced they would not be affiliated/play within Russia. This is a widespread effort from across the sporting world, so let's have a look at exactly what's going on.
Football:
Whether it's international or British football, Russia's football aspirations are looking rather like an own goal.
English club Everton FC has announced it will no longer associate itself with Russian sponsors. Unbeknown to many, news broke that Everton is in part financed by Russian money. The club said in a statement:
"This tragic situation must end as soon as possible, and any further loss of life must be avoided." It added: "The club can confirm that it has suspended with immediate effect all commercial sponsorship arrangements with the Russian companies USM, Megafon and Yota."
Internationally, Russia has been suspended from all FIFA and UEFA competitions. The suspension means that Russia will not be included in the mens World Cup qualifications, unless there are any improvements in the situation.
UEFA has also suspended its partnership with gas giant Gazprom, worth around £80 million in sponsorship money for the Champions League and Euro 2024.
The same thing has happened with women's football, with the Swiss Football Association announcing that their team will not play Russia in the July European Championships.
Most importantly, the Champions League Final will now move from Moscow to Saint-Denis, France.
The game will still go ahead as scheduled on the 28th May
Olympic sport:
The British Olympic Association has stated that they would like Russia and Belarus to be removed from the competition. They issued a statement saying:
“The British Olympic Association, together with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Germany, demands the immediate exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the international sports family until further notice.”
Continuing, “We call on the international sports federations to ban athletes representing Russia and Belarus from competitions for the time being and to suspend Russian and Belarusian officials from their positions.
Formula 1:
Formula 1 have announced that Russia will no longer host a Grand Prix. The Sochi Grand Prix, which was scheduled to go ahead in September, was cancelled by the F1 directly.
On the 25th February, @F1 on Twitter issued a statement saying "We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation."
Nikita Mazepin has been dropped from Haas' 2022 lineup following the situation, and so has their sponsor Uralkali. Gene Haas has insisted that the team will continue to be financially stable without their involvement. Haas has been said to be using the team for marketing purposes for Haas Automotive instead of seeking profits.
Skiing:
The International Ski Federation have said that five World Cup skiing events due to take place in Russia have been cancelled.
The sporting body said: "FIS has decided that in the interest of the safety of all participants and to maintain the integrity of the World Cup, that all remaining World Cup events scheduled to take place in Russia between now and the end of the 2021-22 season will be cancelled or moved to another location."
The sport is allowing Russians to compete but the Norwegian Ski Federation said they will not be allowed to participate in upcoming events in Norway.
Tennis:
Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete under a neutral flag, but they are now barred from the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup.
As things stand, Russian teams will not be able to defend their titles from either tournament later this year
As things stand, Russian teams will not be able to defend their titles from either tournament later this year, while Belarus’ Davis Cup play-off against Mexico – scheduled for this weekend – will not take place.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin Cup, a joint WTA and ATP tournament due to be held in Moscow in October, has been suspended.
Athletics:
All athletes and sports personnel (including officials) from Russia and Belarus are barred from World Athletics Series events including this summer's World Championships in Eugene.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said: “Anyone who knows me will understand that imposing sanctions on athletes because of the actions of their government goes against the grain."
“I have railed against the practice of politicians targeting athletes and sport to make political points when other sectors continue about their business."
For now, it looks like Putin has been given a red card for Russian sport.
Overall, it looks like the sports world is something that will majorly hit and impact Russia. Whether these sanctions will be revoked if talks do go ahead is the next question. For now, it looks like Putin has been given a red card for Russian sport.
