By What is going on between Russia and Ukraine
Russia began a full invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. This invasion is the product of a Russo-Ukrainian War that has been going on since 2014.
In 2014, the Revolution of Dignity (including the annexation of Crimea) happened in Ukraine and Russian backed separatist forces seized a part of Ukraine.
This launched the on-going war. Russian forces began assembling at Ukrainian borders as early as 2021, but the full-fledged attack did not come till late February 2022.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has been criticized for his Russian irredentism views. The invasion has received worldwide condemnation. New sanctions were imposed on Russia affecting their financial situation.
The condemnation has also extended to the sports world. Ukrainian athletes and Russian athletes alike are feeling the affects of the invasion.
Russian Athletes banned from Competitions
Several international sports leagues have said they are boycotting matchups with Russian teams. Many believe that Russian teams need to be ban them from competition in general.
Recently the International Olympic Committee said that Russia breached the “Olympic Truce” and recommended that Russian athletes be barred from competitions. This barring could also be instated for Belarus, a neighbor that helped with the Ukrainian invasion.
FIFA (governing body for soccer) and FIBA (governing body for international basketball) both said that Russia will be banned from competing. This bans Russia from the 2022 World Cup.
International figure skating and skiing organizations have also banned Russian athletes from competing.
The International Ice Hockey Federation has pulled events from Russia and banned both Russia and Belarus from participating in IIHF events. The world junior tournament that was supposed to be hosted in two Russian cities is canceled.
Formula 1 cancelled the September Russian Grand Prix. The International Paralympic Committee banned athletes right before the games started on March 4th.
As this conflict continues to mount, more and more sports organizations are using events to condemn the actions of Russia. American sports leagues and organizations have released written statements calling for peace.
Russian and Ukrainian Athletes Speak Out
There has been increased spotlight put on both Ukrainian and Russian athletes during this time. Some believe is it not fair to expect athletes to say anything considering how contentious the situation is.
Others feel that if athletes can support movements and politician’s pre-invasion, they have a duty to back up their word post invasion.
Boxing Ukrainian brothers Wladimir Klitschko and Vitali Klitschko announced the decision to fight to help Ukraine in the invasion. Russian athletes like tennis star Fedor Smolov and figure skater Tatiana Volosozhar call for no war.
NHL star Alexander Ovechkin’s opinion on the matter was one people wanted to hear. Ovechkin, along with other Russian players like Evgeni Malkin, were public with their support of Putin in the past.
When given the chance to condemn him, Ovechkin stuck to saying that no one wants war.
It is valid to say that Russian players, especially ones with families still in Russia like Ovechkin, would be hesitant to condemn Putin. But once you publicly back someone, it is also fair to expect backlash when they are doing what Putin is doing.
How Sports and Politics will always be Linked
The statement “stick to sports” will never actually make sense. When every structure around sports is political, when the idea behind consumerism (a huge part of sports) is political, when the athletes in sport are affected by world politics, the idea of just keeping them out of sports is a farce. Ukrainian athletes have no choice in “sticking to sports”.
Here is a source to help Ukraine
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