ISTANBUL
A year has passed since Russia launched its war against Ukraine and on the sports front, Russian teams, players, and athletes stand isolated from international events.
Just four days after the war’s beginning on Feb. 24, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged for Russian athletes to be prevented from competing in international events.
In two early measures, Formula 1 axed the Russian Grand Prix, held annually in Sochi, from the 2022 Formula 1 calendar, while UEFA moved the Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris shortly after.
As the war’s first year nears its end, the UEFA Executive Committee decided last month to relocate the 2023 UEFA Super Cup from Kazan, Russia to Piraeus’ Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece. Its final match is slated for Aug. 16.
Here’s a list of developments related to Russia:
Neutral flag
At the end of February last year, the world football’s governing body, FIFA, ordered Russia’s national football team to compete without a flag or anthem, as well as to play as the Football Union of Russia on neutral territory.
Players from Russia and Belarus, which supports Moscow’s war on Kyiv, were allowed to participate in the 2022 US Open and 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games under a neutral flag but were not included at the Paralympic medals table.
Unprecedented sanctions on Russia
Sports bodies around the world have slapped restrictive measures on Russia.
Athletes and clubs from Russia were banned by international sports governing bodies such as FIFA, FIBA, and the seven top organizations of international tennis.
To give a few examples: Russian basketball clubs CSKA Moscow, Zenit, and UNICS Kazan were suspended from the EuroLeague season while Russian and Belarusian players were barred from Wimbledon.
The suspension also excluded the Russian national team from the FIFA men’s World Cup qualification playoffs held in March last year.
The Polish Football Federation had previously refused to play the 2022 World Cup playoff semi against Russia on March 24 over the war.
Sponsorship fallout
Also due to the year-old war, many sports clubs terminated their sponsorship deal with Russian companies, such as airline Aeroflot and Gazprom.
The Russian natural gas giant’s partnerships with UEFA and German football club Schalke 04 came to a premature end.
Gazprom had been a Champions League partner since 2012.
Meanwhile, Manchester United terminated their sponsorship deal with Aeroflot.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich sells Chelsea
In March, English football club Chelsea, owned for two decades by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, was sold to a consortium led by US businessman Todd Boehly.
The £4.25 billion ($5.2 billion) deal was approved two months after Abramovich decided to sell the club in March.
A consortium led by Boehly completed its Chelsea takeover at the end of May.
Sabalenka crowned first ‘neutral’ Grand Slam winner
Aryna Sabalenka came back from a set down to beat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Melbourne, lifting her first Grand Slam singles title on Jan. 28.
The 24-year-old Belarusian’s win in the Australian Open was not only her first Grand Slam singles title but also the first for a tennis star fighting under a neutral flag.
Sports world leads Russia boycotts
Other sports governing bodies also took action after Russia launched its “special military operation” against Ukraine.
In addition to the above, all Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials were suspended from dozens of sports, including archery, badminton, baseball, softball, biathlon, canoeing, and chess.
