Western sports world derides Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

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As the Russian government presses on with its military invasion of Ukraine, major sports figures in the Western world are voicing their opposition to the war, and the ownership and sponsorship deals of some teams are being called into question.

On Saturday, Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky condemned the invasion and said Russia should be banned from the rescheduled world junior championship, to be held in Alberta this summer.

“I think international hockey should say we’re not going to let them play in the world junior hockey tournament,” Gretzky on a U.S. TV network show, NHL on TNT.

“I think we’ve got to, as Canadians, take that stand since the games are going to be played in Edmonton.”

Gretzky says Russia should be barred from world junior competition

Russian hockey star Alex Ovechkin: ‘Please, no more war’

The International Ice Hockey Federation said it is reviewing the implication of Russia’s invasion on its events and called a council meeting for Monday.

“The IIHF and its council condemn the use of military force and urge the use of diplomatic means to solve conflicts,” read a statement from the organization. “Our thoughts are with the people in Ukraine and the Ukrainian ice hockey family.”

FIFA committed to punitive actions on Sunday, saying the Russian flag and anthem will not be allowed in soccer games, and no international games will be allowed to take place in the country. The sport’s world governing body said it’s aware that Poland and Sweden have refused to play games with Russia in the coming World Cup qualifying matches, and said it is working to find an appropriate solution.

Other soccer bodies have already taken action against Russia: European soccer’s governing body last week stripped St. Petersburg of this year’s Champions League final, and Sunday, England’s soccer federation said it would not play Russia in any international games for the foreseeable future “out of solidarity with Ukraine and to wholeheartedly condemn the atrocities being committed by the Russian leadership.”

The Ukrainian Tennis Federation is also urging the International Tennis Federation to immediately expel Russia and Belarus from the organisation.

In a letter reviewed by Reuters, the Ukrainian federation said the action was warranted given Russia and Belarus’ “unprecedented, cynical and bloody” attacks on Ukraine over the past four days.

Russian forces entered Ukraine with the goal of seizing Kyiv on Thursday. Western governments in response imposed sanctions on high-profile Russians, blocked some money transfers through the SWIFT payment system, and barred Russian flights from large swaths of airspace, including from landing in Canada.

But experts say the rebuke of war from major athletes overseas will be another factor that could affect Russian public perception about the military action in Ukraine.

Some of Russia’s wealthiest have been affected in the sports world, too. Over the weekend, the Russian owner of England’s Chelsea football club symbolically gave up control of the team, although the oligarch remains the club’s owner.

“I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart,” said Roman Abramovich, who is a high-profile billionaire with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.”

Manchester United, one of Britain’s largest soccer clubs, also announced in a brief statement that it would be ending its sponsorship deal with the Russian airline Aeroflot.

“We share the concerns of our fans around the world and extend our sympathies to those affected,” the club said in a statement.

In Formula One, The U.S.-based Haas F1 Team also found itself in a tricky situation because its top sponsor is the Russian potash fertilizer company Uralkali, and its driver, Nikita Mazepin, is the son of another wealthy Russian businessman.

The F1 team dropped Uralkali sponsorship from its car, which would have been paired with a paint job that uses the red, blue and white colours of the Russian flag.

Team principal Guenther Steiner said there are legal issues related to the matter and not everything about the sponsorship or its driver, Mazepin, is under its control.

“There are no guarantees anywhere. There are governments [involved] and I have no idea what is coming from that side,” Steiner said. “He puts a tough face on it. For sure it bothers him because it’s his own country.”

David Black, a political-science professor with Dalhousie University, said Putin has taken a deep interest in sports and made an effort to host major events such as the Olympics because of the sense of prestige and acceptance that it delivers to his country.

The rebuke of the war from major athletes and the effect on owners such as Abramovich disrupt that sense of normalcy in the country, Black said.

“This is obviously not going to change the behaviour of the Russian state, but it unsettles the Russian leadership when major Russian sport figures critique even gently and implicitly what’s going on,” said Black, who researches the impact of politics on sport.

“Those statements show, I think, a level of dissatisfaction that many not just in Russia, but in the Russian diaspora, feel about the undertaking of an aggressive war.”

On Friday, NHL star Alex Ovechkin called for peace during a news conference and said he doesn’t want to see anyone hurt or killed.

“Please, no more war. It doesn’t matter who is in the war – Russia, Ukraine, different countries – we have to live in peace,” Ovechkin said after a Washington Capitals practice.

Also on Friday, Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev wrote “no war please” on a broadcast camera lens after winning a match to advance to the Dubai championship final, rather than customarily signing his name after the win.

With reports from The Associated Press, Reuters and New York Times News Service