The sports world is cutting off Russia due to the war. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned the Russian team from competing in the Winter Olympics, which will take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February of 2018. This ban comes after Russia was found guilty of state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. In addition, several other international sporting organizations have banned or suspended Russian athletes from participating in their events.
This decision by the IOC is a clear statement that the organization will not tolerate doping by any country, no matter how powerful it may be. It is also a sign that the IOC is taking the issue of doping seriously and is committed to cleaning up the sport of Olympic competition.
The Russian team was not the only one affected by the IOC’s decision. The entire Russian delegation, including coaches and officials, was banned from attending the Olympics. This could have a significant impact on Russia’s ability to host future international sporting events.
The ban is also likely to cause resentment among many Russians, who see their country as being unfairly singled out. Some have accused the IOC of singling out Russia in order to further its own political agenda. However, the IOC has denied these allegations, stating that its decision was based purely on doping violations.
Despite the backlash, the IOC’s decision is widely seen as a strong statement against doping in sport. It is hoped that this will send a message to other countries that doping will not be tolerated and that violators will be punished. Here are other sports platforms that cut ties with Russia:
- Olympics and Paralympics
The International Olympic Committee today asked the sports governing bodies in its sphere of influence to ban all athletes from Russia and key ally Belarus from their competitions. This is a step further than the IOC was willing to go in response to the discovery of Russia’s massive, state-sponsored doping program a few years ago. That resulted in the country’s name, flag and anthem being banned from the Olympics, but Russian athletes were still allowed to compete under a banner (such as Russian Olympic Committee) that left no doubt as to where they were from.
- Soccer
FIFA and UEFA (the sport’s world and European governing bodies, respectively) announced today that they’ve suspended Russia’s national teams and clubs from their competitions “until further notice.” This makes it likely that Russia will not play in this year’s men’s World Cup and Women’s Euro 2022 tournaments.
The move comes after Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic forced the hands of the lords of soccer by saying over the weekend that they were refusing to play Russia in the final round of Europe’s World Cup qualifying tournament. Those four teams make up a mini-bracket from which one team will qualify. Poland is scheduled to play Russia on March 24, with the winner facing Sweden or the Czech Republic five days later for a ticket to the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year.
- Hockey
The International Ice Hockey Federation today booted all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs from its competitions “until further notice.” This could mean both countries lose their spots in the men’s world championship in May in Finland, and Russia gets removed from the women’s worlds in Denmark starting in late August (Belarus doesn’t have a team in that event). It could also take Russia out of the rescheduled world junior championship, which is expected to happen in August in Alberta after being abandoned just after Christmas due to COVID-19 issues. Even the normally reticent Wayne Gretzky called for Russia to be banned from the world juniors over the weekend on U.S. national TV.
