Transfer of tournaments and deprivation of the flag: how Russian athletes suffered in connection with the special operation in Ukraine

If two weeks ago the doping scandal involving Kamila Valieva seemed to be a serious problem, now it has faded against the backdrop of sanctions and restrictions.

They started with the verdict of the IOC, which called on international sports federations to move competitions from Russia and Belarus, and also not to use the flags and anthems of these countries in tournaments.

In just a few days, Russia lost all major events.

In particular, she lost the Champions League final, which was to be held in St. Petersburg in just three months.

Also, the country was left without the already traditional September Formula 1 stage in Sochi, the final stage of the Planet Cup in cross-country skiing in Tyumen, the World Chess Olympiad, the Continental Curling Championship in Perm, and the European Judo Cup.

In addition, international volleyball competitions will not be held in Russia "until further notice".

And the World Boxing Council (WBC) will not recognize or approve fights.

There is no doubt that the organizers would have coped with the holding of all these tournaments, and the international federations have suffered serious losses from emergency transfers.

At the same time, in some cases, there was very little time left before the events, as in the case of the Champions League final.

“I can only express my regret about what happened.

The Russian Federation gave all the necessary guarantees and strictly complied with them and other requirements.

A large number of people were involved in the project.

We were ready to give both the guests and the Russians a football holiday.

It’s a pity that this will not happen,” explained the head of the organizing committee, Alexei Sorokin.

Holding a number of other major events in Russia is also under serious question, for example, the Volleyball World Cup, which is to be held on August 26-September 11 in ten cities at once.

The FIVB has not yet decided to transfer it.

"The FIVB believes that sport should always remain out of politics, but we are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants in our events is a top priority," the organization said in a statement.

There is no clarity on the fate of the 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship in St. Petersburg.

The IIHF Council is expected to discuss this issue on February 28th.

It's too early to talk about the UEFA Super Cup in Kazan, scheduled for August next year.

According to journalist Dmitry Guberniev, the transfer of competitions from Russia is an absolutely politicized story.

“The decision is made by the IOC, but whoever puppets, pulls the strings, we also understand.

We are not talking about taking away the World Cup in volleyball, which takes place every four years.

You do not mess with volleyball, because there is a lot of money there and everyone will fall for it.

Why don't you take away volleyball, nerds?

Nowhere to move?

"Formula 1" - understandable.

There are many who wish.

Again, some nonsense.

Strength to our athletes, ”Sport-Express quotes the commentator.

Another serious problem was the negative attitude towards Russian athletes.

Even agreeing to act in fact in a neutral status, they come under serious pressure.

For example, skiers during the WC stage in Lahti received threats, and the organizers were forced to tighten security measures.

The RBU did not agree at all with the decisions of the IOC and the IBU and announced the refusal to participate in biathletes in the remaining international tournaments until the end of the season.

The demands from these organizations were called unreasonable and categorically unacceptable there and declared their desire to apply to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in order to protect the interests of athletes.

The shooting skiers themselves, who performed well at the Olympics, were forced to be left without competitive practice at the highest level.

Some of them, such as Alexander Loginov and Kristina Reztsova, lost the opportunity to compete for the first KM Small Crystal Globes in their careers and write their names into history.

“Honestly, I am dumbfounded and surprised by the decision of the IBU.

This, of course, is embarrassing.

We still planned to compete in the team event, and it was important for the athletes to perform well in individual races.

Everyone was preparing, now we will participate in all-Russian competitions, ”complained the head coach of the men's team Yuri Kaminsky.

Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin also disagreed with the requirements of the IOC and international federations and considered them inadequate.

“We see that no reasons are given why this was done.

Neither on the territory of the Russian Federation nor on the territory of Belarus are there any emergency conflicts and situations.

We consider it unacceptable and inadequate to include additional response measures and sanctions for countries in the current situation,” Matytsin said on the air of the Match TV channel.

Unfortunately, it cannot be ruled out that the Russians will be completely banned from attending some competitions.

For example, the Norwegian Ski Federation called for the exclusion of domestic skiers from the participation in the KM stage in Holmenkollen.

Later, the country's NOC proposed to completely remove Russia and Belarus from all international tournaments.

But the most revealing situation has developed in football, where the national teams of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic refused to play with Russia in the play-offs for getting into the final stage of the world championship in Qatar, even on neutral territory.

According to the regulations, they should be credited with technical defeats, but in the current conditions it is not at all a fact that FIFA will take such a step.

“Anything can happen now.

Regulations may or may not apply depending on the interpretation of the principle of fairness by the arbitrators.

We see this in the Olympic awards.

The skaters were supposed to have a ceremony, but they didn’t.

It's the same here.

Regulations are invented by people, and they are applied by the same or other people.

Now it is difficult to say something definite.

Yes, according to the regulations, this is a technical defeat for Poland and Sweden, but whether they will strictly follow it is a big question, ”R-Sport quotes sports lawyer Artyom Patsev.

Rigid appeals are also heard in other forms.

For example, Wayne Gretzky asked not to let the youth hockey team into the 2022 World Cup in Canada.

And the Lithuanian basketball club "Zalgiris" refused to play with domestic teams in European competitions, even on neutral grounds.

In fact, innocent Russians in one moment turned into outcasts.

In this vein, the situation was commented by the country's champion in Nordic combined Anastasia Goncharova.

“Why should Russian athletes who are abroad feel pressure and lack of personal security?

Why, if you are jogging in a uniform with Russia written on it, then you are a “red rag” for all enterprising foreigners who believe that they have the right to express their dissatisfaction with you?

Without a flag and an anthem now on the street, it turns out, ”the girl wrote on Instagram.

She stressed that athletes have nothing to do with politics and called on colleagues from other countries to take a neutral position and do everything to make all participants feel safe.