So long as its military remains in Ukraine, much of the international sport community will not welcome Russian participation, say two Brock University experts.<\/p>\n
Through actions including a complete ban on Russian soccer clubs and national teams from all FIFA and UEFA competitions, a complete ban of Russian athletes from the upcoming Paralympic Games and the removal of Russian sponsors from many sports organizations, Assistant Professors of Sport Management Taylor McKee and Michael Naraine believe significant additional pressure will be placed on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the hostilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to the game of global affairs chess, sport serves as a pawn, but pawns are relevant to the endgame,\u201d says Naraine. \u201cPawns are tactical pieces that can be sacrificed or used to amplify pressure, and tend to get a lot of media attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
McKee believes that negative media attention can be harnessed for change internally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe effects of isolating Russian athletes and entertainers from international competition will be felt by all Russians and will certainly impact Putin\u2019s domestic popularity,\u201d he says. \u201cThe key for the global sport community is solidarity, denying Russia the ability to showcase their athletes as conduits of state propaganda. This tactic has the ability to create even more friction among a Russian public that is, at best, somewhat ambivalent about the invasion of Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naraine believes the sanctions will be toughest on Russian athletes themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a difficult time for Russian athletes who do not necessarily have a say in what their government does abroad, so they end up being collateral damage,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
McKee says there is also historical context for what bans of this scale can achieve.<\/p>\n
\u201cSporting isolation is the only conceivable course of action that would place any degree of pressure on Russia,\u201d he says. \u201cThis could entail a complete boycott, similar to the boycott of apartheid South Africa, which would extend to any nation competing with Russia in any sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
With such colossal impacts on Russia\u2019s economic development and tourism sectors, Naraine believes Putin may have been biding his time before starting a war.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was calculated enough to host a FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games in Russia before instigating this invasion,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
As the global community begins to adjust to sporting events that don\u2019t include Russian teams, McKee believes one additional step could be taken closer to home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an enormous amount of Russian political capital extracted from the performances of Russian athletes, including those in the NHL,\u201d he says. \u201cNorth American sports leagues will need to start contemplating whether or not individual athletes may start feeling the consequences of a Russian sporting boycott as well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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