- Major sports events scheduled to be held in Russia have been cancelled.
- Formula One on Thursday said that it is following the developments closely.
- UEFA Champions league cancelled plans to host matches at St. Petersburg.
While Russia continues with its war in Ukraine, the sporting world has taken a stand, and it does not support Vladimir Putin’s aggression that’s resulting in the infamous Russia Ukraine conflict.
While the Champions League final in St. Petersburg has been rescheduled, Sebastian Vettel has asked for the Sochi Grand Prix in September to be boycotted.
“I think it’s horrible to see what is happening. Obviously, if you look at the calendar, we have a race scheduled in Russia.
“For myself, my own opinion is I should not go, I will not go. I think it’s wrong to race in that country. I’m sorry for the people, innocent people who are losing their lives, getting killed for stupid reasons under a very strange and mad leadership,” Vettel maintains.
Sebastian Vettel speaks on Russia Ukraine Conflict. Photo/ Eurosport
Formula One in a statement on Thursday said it was keeping a close watch on all that was happening.
The statement followed reports that the Russian Grand Prix had been removed from F1’s ticketing website, before later reappearing.
Another high-profile sports figure who spoke out after Russia’s invasion is Oleksandr Zinchenko of the Premier League and Ukraine. He said he hopes Putin dies.
He later said that his post was deleted by Instagram.
Zinchenko on Thursday said he couldn’t stand back adding the whole world is concerned about what is happening in Ukraine.
Zinchenko, who started his career at Russian club FC Ufa, said: “I can’t sit back and wait for the right moment to speak out. My home nation is depicted in the photograph. My country of birth and upbringing.”
Paulo Fonseca, former manager of Shakhtar Donetsk, said it was the ‘worst day of my life’ for Brazilian footballers stranded in Ukraine begging their government for help and evacuation.
The Ukrainian football league has been suspended for at least 30 days, and the Swedish FA claim it is ‘absolutely unimaginable’ that they will meet the Czech Republic in a World Cup play-off match in Russia in March.
As soon as Putin personally gave the order to attack, Russia launched a full-scale war on Ukraine.
Now branded as the ‘bitter ex-lover’, Russia brought in missiles and bombs from Belarus. It did not leave behind rolling tanks from the border, parachuting troops into the east, and massive explosions across the country.
On February 24th, Vladimir Putin made a pre-dawn television address in which he said Russia could not feel secure, due to continuous threats from Ukraine.
Putin irrationally stated that his purpose was to defend those who had been bullied and murdered. That is why he sought for the “demilitarization and de-Nazification” of Ukraine led by a Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo/NDTV
Russia’s attack impacts the global economy, as it does the world of sports.
Martial law has been declared in the country, and the domestic football league has been cancelled. Teams like Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk will be unable to play for at least 30 days as a result of this.
The Champions League final had been scheduled for Saint Petersburg, Russia, but UEFA has made it obvious that a new location has been selected.
As it is, Poland has already requested that their national team not play on Russian soil in the upcoming 2022 World Cup play-offs.
If FIFA does not interfere, Ukraine will face Scotland in the play-offs in March, if they have qualified.
This year’s EuroLeague has three Russian teams in the top eight, CSKA Moscow, UNICS Kazan, and Zenit Saint Petersburg, who are considered favorites to reach the play-offs.
Barcelona’s Alex Abrines is one of the players who “would prefer not to fly” to Russia for Barcelona’s forthcoming games against CSKA Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg.
American players like Nigel Hayes-Davis and Brandon Davies may not be able to visit Russian territory because of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
The International Volleyball Federation is keeping a close eye on the issue and has stated that it will only switch venues if the event in Russia cannot go on as scheduled.
In addition to the F1 World Championship, Russia will host the Men’s Volleyball World Championship in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Ufa, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Kazan, and Yaroslavl.
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