The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Russia excluded from more sports as sanctions mount
More sports are following GENEVA — the appeal of the International Olympic Committee and banning Russian athletes from competing in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia was barred from competing in international ice skating, skiing, basketball, track, and some tennis events Tuesday, a day after being kicked out of soccer competitions and hockey. The decisions follow the IOC’S request to international federations to exclude Russians from events they organize.
The International Skating Union, the body that runs the sport around the world, said no athletes from Russia or Belarus “shall be invited or allowed to participate” in events until further notice. Belarus has been a key ally of Russia in its attack on Ukraine. The world figure skating championships are later this month in France. The ISU decision means Olympic champ Anna Shcherbakova and 15-year-old teammate Kamila Valieva, the focus of a still-unresolved doping dispute at the Olympics, will be excluded.
The sports restrictions have drawn sharp criticism from Russia. “Our country has always adhered to the principle that sport is beyond politics, but we are constantly drawn into the politics, because they understand the importance of sport in the lives of our Russian people,” Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said Tuesday.
Russian and Belarusian tennis players including top-ranked Daniil Medvedev, who is Russian, will still be allowed to play on the ATP and WTA tours, but without national flags, and at the Grand Slams. The countries are barred from team competitions like the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup until further notice. Russian players won both last year and are already qualified for this year’s finals as defending champions.
In Norway, Russian cross-country skiers — who won 11 medals at the Beijing Olympics — were heading home after being excluded by the International Ski Federation, known as FIS. The decision came after a three-day standoff with Norwegian ski officials, who said they would refuse to let Russians and Belarusians race even if the governing body maintained its previous policy of allowing them to compete as neutral athletes.
In track and field, Russia has been suspended since 2015 for doping violations but allowed to compete as “Authorized Neutral Athletes.” On Tuesday, the sport moved to a blanket ban on Russia and Belarus.
The International Volleyball Federation stripped Russia of hosting the men’s world championships. Cycling will allow Russian riders to compete as neutrals but will bar Russian and Belarusian teams and sponsors.
Russian athletes have already arrived in China for the Paralympics, which open Friday. They are scheduled to compete as RPC, short for Russian Paralympic Committee, after the IOC offered an exemption for events starting at short notice.
The governing bodies of three Olympic sports — fencing, shooting and boxing — are led by Russians. So far, only shooting has barred Russian athletes from competing.