An increasing number of international sports federations are moving to ban Russia over its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, as sports officials are becoming increasingly vocal in their opposition to the war Russian President Vladimir Putin has sparked in Eastern Europe.
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Tuesday saw World Taekwondo, the international governing body of the sport, announced it was stripping Putin of his honorary black belt. The Russian leader is among several people who have been awarded the 9th dan black belt – the highest rank one can attain in the sport.
"World Taekwondo strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the World Taekwondo vision of 'Peace is More Precious than Triumph' and the World Taekwondo values of respect and tolerance," the organization wrote. "In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to withdraw the honorary 9th dan black belt conferred to Mr. Vladimir Putin in November 2013."
The organization further said that Russian flags and anthems will not be displayed or played at their events, nor will those of Belarus, a close Russian ally.
World Taekwondo strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the World Taekwondo vision of "Peace is More Precious than Triumph" and the World Taekwondo values of respect and tolerance.#PeaceIsMorePreciousThanTriumphhttps://t.co/nVTdxDdl2I
— World Taekwondo (@worldtaekwondo) February 28, 2022
On Sunday, the International Judo Federation suspended Putin as honorary president and ambassador citing the conflict in Ukraine.
"In light of the ongoing war conflict in Ukraine, the International Judo Federation announces the suspension of Mr. Vladimir Putin's status as Honorary President and Ambassador of the International Judo Federation," the IJF said in a statement.
The IJF also canceled the 2022 Grand Slam in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan, which was to be held from May 20-22.
"We, the sports community, must remain united and strong, to support each other and our universal values, in order to always promote peace and friendship, harmony and unity," IJF President Marius Vizer said in a statement. "The judo family hopes that the current unrest can be solved in the last moment, to reestablish normality and stability in Eastern Europe and the world, to once again be able to focus on the diverse cultures, history, and legacy of Europe, in the most positive way."
The soccer world also gave Russia the boot on Monday, as FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian teams.
FIFA, soccer's international governing body, announced that Russia has been kicked out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar while the Union of European Football Associations announced it was moving the May 28 Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris following Russia's aggression.
FIFA and UEFA suspend Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions.
Full statement: ⬇️
— UEFA (@UEFA) February 28, 2022
UEFA also announced that it was cutting its ties with one of its main sponsors, Gazprom, a Russian state-owned energy company.
"UEFA shares the international community's significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion in Ukraine," it said.
German sportswear giant Adidas said it was suspending its partnership with the Russian soccer union.
The fallout from the Kremlin's belligerence prompted European bans against Russia in other arenas as well.
The International Olympic Committee urged all European associations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions, saying it needs to "protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants."
announced that it's revoking Putin's 2001 Olympic Order (its top honor), and has recommended that Russian athletes be excluded from international competition.
Citing the "extremely grave violation of the Olympic Truce and other violations of the Olympic Charter by the Russian government in the past," the IOC also stripped Putin of his 2001 Olympic Order. The latter, which was established in 1975 to mark distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, is the IOC's highest award.
The IOC also withdrew the Order awards to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak.
The International Olympic Committee said it acted "with a heavy heart" but the impact of war on Ukrainian sports outweighed the potential damage done to athletes from Russia and Belarus.
IOC Executive Board recommends no participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officialshttps://t.co/XZyLIi11XR
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) February 28, 2022
The International Swimming Federation took its stand on Tuesday, stripping Putin of its FINA Order award.
"The FINA Order awarded to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 has been withdrawn," FINA said in a statement. "Until further notice, no athlete or Aquatics official from Russia or Belarus [will] be allowed to take part under the name of Russia or Belarus. Russian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams.
"No national symbols, colors, flags should be displayed or anthems should be played, in international Aquatics events which are not already part of the respective World Anti-Doping Agency's sanctions for Russia," the statement added.
World Athletics, the international governing body covering track and field, cross country running, road running, racewalking, mountain running, and ultra running, joined the ban on Tuesday, suspending Russian and Belarusian athletes, support staff, and officials "from all events for the foreseeable future."
ITF suspends Russia and Belarus from ITF membership and international team competition
Full statement ⬇️
— ITF (@ITFTennis) March 1, 2022
The international skiing, volleyball, rowing, and badminton federations joined the ban as well.
The Russian Athletics Federation has been suspended from World Athletics since 2015 due to doping violations, and its competitors have not been allowed to compete under the country's flag at international events.
World Athletics said the new sanction also included Russian athletes who had the Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) status in 2022.
"Anyone who knows me will understand that imposing sanctions on athletes because of the actions of their government goes against the grain," said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
"This is different as governments, businesses and other international organizations have imposed sanctions and measures against Russia across all sectors. Sport has to step up and join these efforts to end this war and restore peace. We cannot and should not sit this one out."
Tennis bodies barred athletes from competing under the Russian and Belarusian flags.
The Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women's Tennis Association also decided to suspend the combined WTA-ATP event, which was set to be held in Moscow in October.
The International Tennis Federation suspended the Russian and Belarusian tennis federations' membership and withdrew their entries from all ITF international team competitions "until further notice."
"The International Tennis Federationcondemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its facilitation by Belarus. In addition to the cancellation of all ITF events in those countries, the ITF Board has today announced the immediate suspension of the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation from ITF membership and from participation in ITF international team competition until further notice.
"The ITF remains in close contact with the Ukraine Tennis Federation and stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine." the sport's governor said in a statement.
On Saturday, Formula One, the International Federation of Motor Sports' most prestigious international racing competition, canceled the Russian Grand Prix, due to take place in Sochi on Sept. 25.
"The FIA Formula 1 World Championship visits countries all over the world with a positive vision to unite people, bringing nations together. We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation.
"Formula One, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances," the London-based organization said in a statement.
The International Gymnastics Federation also announced that Russian and Belarusian national flags will not be displayed, and the two countries' anthems will not be played at any of their events.
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