“The world is horrified by what Russia has done”, says World Athletics President Sebastian Coe in an address to the Council, reported India Today. “The unprecedented sanctions that are being imposed on Russia and Belarus by countries and industries all over the world appear to be the only peaceful way to disrupt and disable Russia’s current intentions and restore peace”, he added.
As there continues to be growing concerns about sanctions against athletes and the sporting world because of the respective country’s political climate, Coe admitted that such moves are against the grain but also said that it is essential to spike up efforts by the sports sector to amplify the voices against modern horrors and end the war to restore peace and tranquillity. He urged everyone involved in the sporting world to take action and not sit this out.
The decision to impose sanctions against the federations of Russia and Belarus for the foreseeable future is followed by the International Olympics Committee’s decision to suspend all the Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in all international sporting events. The athletes under the Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) procedure are not allowed to compete despite the status received in 2022.
The Russian Athletics Foundation had already been suspended from World athletics since 2015 for doping violations and was not eligible to host international events or send teams to championships, the war has escalated the current situation of the Russian national teams across all sports.
“We stand in solidarity with our fellow athletes, competitors, and friends from Ukraine who are facing far greater challenges than just disruptions to their training and competition but are in fear of their lives and the lives of their loved ones”, the commission chair for World Athletics commission, Lavillenie said.
