IOC Urges Sports Bodies to Cancel Events in Russia, Belarus
Geneva (AP) -- The International Olympic Committee urged sports bodies Friday to cancel or move all events they plan to hold in Russia and Belarus, and stop using the countries' flags and national anthems. The request from the Olympic body came after UEFA moved the Champions League final from St. Petersburg to suburban Paris, and after the governing body of skiing and Formula One pulled upcoming races from Russia.
Volleyball, shooting and hockey all have world championships scheduled to be held in Russia. Hockey is a favorite sport of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his home city of St. Petersburg is scheduled to host the worlds in May 2023. Russia breached the Olympic Truce by invading Ukraine on Thursday, only four days after the closing ceremony of the Winter Games in Beijing. Some of the Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarus, Russia’s ally.
The IOC has ultimate authority over the Olympics but recognizes the independence of the governing bodies of individual sports to organize their own events and pick hosts. Those bodies, the IOC said Friday, “should take the breach of the Olympic Truce by the Russian and Belarussian governments into account and give the safety and security of the athletes absolute priority.”
Russia's national soccer team is also scheduled to host a World Cup qualifying playoff match against Poland on March 24 in Moscow, with a second home game five days later if it wins. FIFA is still weighing if or where Russia can play, though UEFA said Friday the country's teams could not host games in its competitions. In May, Russia is scheduled to host a week-long conference of global sports officials in Ekaterinburg for one of their first in-person gatherings since the pandemic started. That event, known as Sportaccord, is likely to be canceled in the coming days.
On Friday, the IOC said the flags and national anthems of Russia and Belarus should not be used at any international sports events.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-25/ioc-urges-sports-bodies-to-cancel-events-in-russia-belarus?srnd=premium
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