In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Judo Federation announced, on Sunday, the “suspension” of the honorary presidency of Vladimir Putin and his position as the Federation’s ambassador.
“Due to the current conflict in Ukraine, the International Judo Federation announces the suspension of the position of Mr. Vladimir Putin as Honorary President and Ambassador of the Federation,” the International Judo Federation wrote in a statement.
Putin is a seasoned judoka who often shows his athletic side and promotes a healthy lifestyle. His image contrasts markedly with that of his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, whose alcoholic adventures roamed the world in the 1990s.
The battle for Kiev continued on Sunday, the fourth day of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, in a context marked by increasing Western pressure on Moscow by excluding Russian banks from the Swift platform and the expectation of additional arms deliveries to Ukraine.
The Russian-Ukrainian crisis had many repercussions in the world of professional sports, as events that were supposed to take place in Russia were canceled, most notably the Champions League final, which was moved from St. Petersburg to Paris, and the Russian Formula One Grand Prix, which the decision was taken to cancel.
The International Olympic Committee called on all sports federations to transfer or cancel the events scheduled in Russia and Belarus because these two countries violated the Olympic truce, while the Polish, Swedish and Czech federations announced their refusal to face Russia in the qualifying European supplement to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
So far, FIFA has not taken any action once morest Russia, saying only on Thursday that its president, Gianni Infantino, was “concerned” regarding the “tragic and frightening” situation.
And unlike the International Federation, the European Union “UEFA” did not delay in taking steps once morest Russia, starting with stripping St. Petersburg of hosting the Champions League final next May, to studying the termination of a sponsorship contract that has been going on since 2012 with the Russian gas giant Gazprom, filling its coffers with forty An estimated one million euros annually, AFP learned Saturday from a source familiar with the discussions.
UEFA also announced that none of its matches will be held on Russian and Ukrainian soil “until further notice.”
Spartak Moscow is still the only representative of the two countries, following qualifying for the round of 16 of the “Europe League” competition, where it faces Germany’s Leipzig.
The International Biathlon Federation imposed a ban on the national anthem and the raising of the flag for both Russia and Belarus during the World Cup competitions, according to the instructions of the International Olympics.
A number of sponsorship contracts linked to Russia have been canceled, and many athletes have raised their voices towards what is happening in Ukraine.