What to remember from Friday
- UEFA has withdrawn the organization of the Champions League final from Russia. It is in France, at the Stade de France, that it will take place.
- The international automobile (FIA) and ski (FIS) federations have canceled the Russian Grand Prix and all winter sports competitions respectively until the end of the 2022 season.
- Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev, after footballer Fedor Smolov, took a stand against war at the Dubai tournament. A risky choice, as researcher Lukas Aubin explains in this interview.
8:20 p.m.: the Chess Olympiads will not take place in Moscow
The Chess Olympiad, the most prestigious competition by national selection, will not be held in Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, announced Friday the International Chess Federation (Fide). “During an extraordinary meeting, held today Friday February 25, it was decided that all the official competitions planned would be moved from Russia”, where another event was also to take place, but also the congress of the federation, him also relocated, specifies the instance in a press release. About 190 countries should have participated in the 44th edition of the Olympiad, scheduled for July 26 to August 8 in the Russian capital.
7 p.m.: the International Cycling Union “worried”
The International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Friday that it was following the situation in Ukraine “with concern” and condemning “in the strongest terms the violation of international law and Ukrainian territorial integrity”. No UCI event is planned in Russia or Belarus in 2022, said the international federation chaired by Frenchman David Lappartient. The UCI, which called for “an immediate cessation of fighting”, sided with the position of the International Olympic Committee, which condemned “the violation of the Olympic truce”.
The federation added that it had “a very special thought for the Ukrainian people as well as for the cycling community in Ukraine, which it assures of all its support and all its affection”. On the second day of fighting, on Friday, a Ukrainian rider, Anatoliy Budyak, won a stage of the Tour of Rwanda while at the UAE Tour (in the United Arab Emirates), success went to a rider from the Russian team. Gazprom-RusVelo, the Czech Mathias Vacek (19 years old).
6:15 p.m .: Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko rested for “a few days” by West Ham
West Ham’s Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko has been rested for “a few days” by his club following Russia’s invasion of his country, manager David Moyes said on Friday.
5:40 p.m .: Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev takes a stand against the war
This is a rare situation in the Russian sports sphere: Andrey Rublev, in the final of the Dubai tournament, took a public stand on Friday against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the end of his semi-final won over the Pole Hubert Hurkacz (3-6, 7-5, 7-6), he wrote “No war please” (no war please, editor’s note) on the camera .
A risky position, as the researcher Lukas Aubin explained to us: “The Russian government has set up a politico-economic-sports system within which a great sportsman who would speak out against the power in place would risk his sporting career , see more. It can go as far as a legal case or potentially an attack on his physical and moral integrity. Today, it is very difficult in Russia to speak out against the power in place when you are a sportsman”.
5:15 p.m .: Manchester United breaks its contract with the Russian company Aeroflot
Manchester United announced on Friday that it had “revoked” its sponsorship contract with Russian airline Aeroflot, following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops. “In light of events in Ukraine, we have withdrawn Aeroflot’s sponsorship rights,” the English club said in a statement. Aeroflot had been the official sponsor of the Mancunian club since 2013.
“We risk having a cascade of sanctions of this type” according to Lukas Aubin, specialist in geopolitics and sport in Russia
Lukas Aubin, doctor in contemporary Slavic studies and author of the book “La Sportokratura sous Vladimir Poutine: une geopolitique du sport russe” (Editions Bréal, 2021), explains what the Russian invasion implies for the sporting world. The first sanctions have fallen, but they could be even more numerous. “One can imagine sanctions against the Russian oligarchs who control part of world sport. The latter, who do not necessarily show their support for Vladimir Putin, still have clear political interests vis-à-vis the Russian state, ”explains Lukas Aubin. READ OUR INTERVIEW.
3:55 p.m .: IOC asks international federations to cancel events in Russia and Belarus
The Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday urged all international sports federations to cancel or relocate any events planned in Russia or Belarus, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
In addition, the Executive Committee requests that the flag of Russia and Belarus not be hoisted at any international sporting event and that the national anthems of these two countries not be played, specifies the press release of the IOC, which estimates that these two countries violated the Olympic truce.
3:00 p.m .: The future of Russian pilot Nikita Mazepin in suspense
Russian driver Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 future is uncertain due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which calls into question the partnership between his American team Haas and Russian sponsor Uralkali, the team principal explained on Friday. Team principal Guenther Steiner acknowledges that Mazepin’s future with the team “must be resolved”. A “paying” driver who arrived in F1 last year, Nikita Mazepin (22) is the son of billionaire Dmitry Mazepin, non-executive director of Uralkali.
“It’s a difficult time and I don’t control much of what is said and happens,” wrote the pilot on his social networks. “I choose to focus on what I CAN control by working hard and doing my best for my Haas team. My most sincere thanks for your understanding and support.”
1:10 p.m.: the FIA cancels the Russian Grand Prix
The Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix, scheduled for September 25 in Sochi, has been canceled, the promoter of the F1 world championship announced on Friday, due to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army.
“On Thursday evening, Formula 1, the FIA and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, taking into account the opinion of all stakeholders, that it is impossible to organize the Grand Prix. of Russia under the current circumstances,” F1 promoter Formula One said in a statement.
12:30 p.m .: the FIS announces the cancellation of all its competitions in Russia
The International Ski Federation did not take long to react after the skicross World Cup fiasco. In a statement, the FIS announced the cancellation of all its competitions scheduled in Russia until the end of the season. “The FIS has decided that, in order to protect all participants and the integrity of the World Cup, all events scheduled to take place until the end of the season in Russia are canceled or moved to another venue. “Writes the International Ski Federation (FIS) in a press release.
11:30 a.m.: A Skicross World Cup… empty
The Sunny Valley event in Russia as part of the Skicross World Cup was deserted by all nations on Friday. Taken aback, the International Ski Federation (FIS) contested the event with 6 athletes… Russians.
11:00 am: The Russian military invasion continues to impact the sports world
From the first hours after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, sports players have multiplied reactions. This Friday, the first sanctions from international bodies fell, with, among other things, the withdrawal of the organization of the Champions League final from Russia.