https://arab.news/2kekk
- Russian and Belarusian tennis players will be allowed to continue competing on the WTA and ATP Tours and in Grand Slam tournaments
- Their track and field athletes, as well as those from Belarus, joined them from being barred from this year's world championships
PARIS: Russia continued to pay a heavy sporting price for its invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, frozen out by a snowballing list of sports with perhaps the most painful blows coming from ice skating and athletics.
However, Russian and Belarusian tennis players will be allowed to continue competing on the WTA and ATP Tours and in Grand Slam tournaments, despite its teams being suspended from the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.
Russia, traditionally a powerhouse in figure skating 鈥� they won six medals at the Beijing Olympics including two gold 鈥� had their skaters barred from all competitions.
This rules them out of March鈥檚 world championships to be hosted in Montpellier, France.
Their track and field athletes, as well as those from Belarus, joined them from being barred from this year鈥檚 world championships 鈥� indoors and outdoors 鈥� later on Tuesday.
It was a decision not taken lightly, with World Athletics president Sebastian Coe describing it as 鈥済oing against the grain鈥� to punish athletes 鈥渂ut sport has to step up.鈥�
Belarusian athletes are being punished as the country is being condemned internationally for being used as a launchpad by Russian forces to attack neighboring Ukraine.
Both are significant blows for Russia, which under President Vladimir Putin had used sport as a powerful force for its image both globally and internally.
Under his presidency it has hosted the Winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi 鈥� although that was overshadowed by the state-sponsored doping scandal 鈥� and the 2018 men鈥檚 football World Cup.
On Monday, the governing bodies who oversee those sporting showpieces hit Russia hard.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged sports federations and organizers to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events.
Hours later, FIFA kicked Russia out of the 2022 World Cup as football鈥檚 global governing body and UEFA joined forces to expel Russian national teams and clubs from all international competitions.
Russian football suffered another body blow on Tuesday when German sports equipment giants Adidas suspended their partnership with the Russian Football Federation.
Adidas generated 2.9 percent of its turnover in 2020 in the 鈥淩ussia, Ukraine and CIS鈥� regions.
Russian tennis players, including newly-crowned men鈥檚 world number one Daniil Medvedev and Belarus鈥� women鈥檚 world number three Aryna Sabalenka, will be allowed to keep competing in major individual events.
But they will not be able to play under their countries鈥� respective flags.
鈥淎 deep sense of distress, shock and sadness has been felt across the entire tennis community following Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine in the past week,鈥� said a joint statement from the ATP, WTA, ITF and the organizers of tennis鈥� four Grand Slam tournaments.
Several high-profile tennis players from Russia have spoken out against the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia鈥檚 top-ranked women鈥檚 player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova joined men鈥檚 tennis number six Andrey Rublev in criticizing the war.
鈥淪top the war, stop the violence,鈥� she tweeted on Tuesday.
鈥淧ersonal ambitions or political motives cannot justify violence. This takes away the future not only from us, but also from our children.鈥�
Russia are the Davis Cup holders but will not be able to defend their title later this year after being banned by the ITF from its team competitions.
Professional cycling teams and national teams from Russia and Belarus have also been barred by the UCI.
But individual riders racing for teams based in other countries will be able to keep competing.
Russia also lost the right to host the men鈥檚 Volleyball World Championships in August and September.
This follows UEFA stripping Saint Petersburg of hosting the Champions League final 鈥� European football鈥檚 premier club competition 鈥� and Formula One canceling the Russian Grand Prix last Friday.
Badminton World Federation (BWF) followed their fellow federations with a blanket ban on the athletes, declaring it had 鈥渟trengthened its measures.鈥� Only hours before it initially just canceled BWF-sanctioned tournaments in Russia and Belarus.
Swimming was another rare bird to offer some sanctuary for Russian and Belarusian swimmers, as governing body FINA stopped short of banning them.
鈥淩ussian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams,鈥� FINA said in a statement.
The Ukrainians will, in spite of the challenges they faced in traveling, be present for the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics in Beijing.
鈥淭he Ukrainian national team will fly in full for the Paralympic Games,鈥� the Ukrainian federation said in a tweet.
Amid all the gloom for Ukrainian sporting stars, there was a bit of bright news for Ukraine international midfielder Yevhen Shakhov 鈥� who plays in Greece 鈥� whose wife gave birth to a baby girl in Kyiv.
鈥淭he real heroes of our time. Heroes are not those who fight, but those who give birth to life. I love you very much,鈥� the 31-year-old AEK Athens star posted on Instagram.
Elsewhere, Manchester City鈥檚 Ukrainian left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko was given the captain鈥檚 armband for his team鈥檚 FA Cup tie at Peterborough.