Consequences of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine in the Athletic Community

By D. Westphalen​

On the 24th of February, Russian troops invaded its neighboring country, Ukraine, as the world did nothing but watched. Ever since then, Russia has continued advancing and moving forward in Ukraine. Many nations, especially those in Europe, have imposed various economic sanctions and political probations on Russia to oppose their attack in Ukraine. Many sporting entities, such as FIFA and FIVB, have also taken action against Russia.
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On Monday, the 28th of February, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) announced that the Russian Federation would not be allowed to participate in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, and thus not compete later this year at the World Cup in Qatar. FIFA made this decision after being heavily criticized from various nations who thought that they had not punished Russia far enough. Besides this, Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic put a lot of pressure on FIFA, as they were set to play against Russia in March, and France, the US and England had already stated that they would not play Russia under any circumstances. UEFA has also banned all Russian clubs from participating in any competition.

In the football community, many players and teams have also come out and publicly criticized Russia. For instance, Bayern Munich’s captain, Robert Lewandowski, wore a Ukrainian flag on his captain band to show his solidarity with Ukraine. Besides this, FC Schalke 04, a German football club, have ceased their partnership with Gazprom, a Russian company, and removed their logo from their uniforms.

The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) has also taken action against Russia. Earlier this week, on the 25th of February, FIVB banned Russia from hosting the Volleyball World Championship, and they are still deciding whether Russia will be allowed to play, as Russia is a country with a lot of success and tradition in volleyball.

Russia’s actions have also created many hardships for Russians in many sports. Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, decided to leave the team, amid the invasion of Ukraine. He stated in a press release that he decided to resign “with the club’s best interest at heart”. Many MPs had claimed that Chelsea, current world champions, should not be run by a Russian. Also, in the NHL (National Hockey League), many Russian players have received death threats through DM’s and have received a lot of criticism from the American public, however the NHL has yet to employ a severe ban or suspension.

​These are only a few of the consequences of Russia’s invasion, tennis players, ice skaters and even basketball players have also been impacted by this.

Sources:
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/a-timeline-of-the-russia-ukraine-conflict?slide=7
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/sports/soccer/fifa-russia-ban.html
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/russia-stripped-of-hosting-2022-volleyball-world-championships-federation/articleshow/89921455.cms
https://www.the42.ie/schalke-to-remove-logo-of-russian-company-gazprom-from-their-shirts-5692445-Feb2022/
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1572494/Chelsea-news-Roman-Abramovich-steps-down-Russia-sanctions-Ukraine-Premier-League