Explained | Russia’s recent exclusions from international sport

Governing bodies of various sports have opted to bar Russia from participating in international events and cancelled their upcoming events in the country owing to the geopolitical tensions.

In the past week, Russia was at the centre of calls for boycott of games in and with the country in the wake of its actions in the Ukraine. Several international sportspersons and governing bodies expressed their concerns on the geopolitical tension between the two countries.

FIFA and UEFA bar Russia from participation: On February 28, FIFA and UEFA communicated Russian national teams and football clubs would be prohibited from participating in any of its competitions until further notice. This effectively meant the country would not be participating in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers for Europe and UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. Additionally, German club RB Leipzig get a walkover against their upcoming Russian opponents Spartak Moscow in the UEFA Europa League.

 “Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people,” FIFA and UEFA’s statement read.

UEFA also decided to terminate its sponsorship agreement with the Russian energy company Gazprom.

Earlier, the governing body for football in Europe had ruled that all games involving Russian and Ukrainian clubs would be played at neutral venues.

The national football associations of Sweden, Poland and Czech Republic had expressed their unwillingness to play Russia. This was citing the geopolitical actions and safety of the players. As things stood, Russia was to play Poland in Moscow on March 24 and Sweden against Czech Republic on the same day. The winners from both the games were to compete for a place in the World Cup. 

UEFA Champions League Final moved: UEFA relocated the venue of the finals of the Men’s Champions League final from Sanit Petersburg to Stade de France in Saint-Denis. It thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for the relocation at “a time of unparalleled crisis.”