How Athletes Are Speaking Out Against The Russia-Ukraine War

This article was co-authored by Giada Palma

As the Russian-Ukraine war continues to rage, athletes from around the globe are speaking out against the ongoing conflict.

Soccer Players Speak Out

Among the athletes speaking out against the war are soccer players from around the world, including Russia. Andriy Shevchenko, a Ukrainian striker who was a legend of Milan, as well as a former coach of Genoa and Ukraine, was the first to expose himself to the tensions by posting on Instagram an image of the yellow and blue flag against the background of a map.

The champion's mother is still in Kiev, as Shevchenko explained one week ago during an interview with Sky Sport. Since then, "Sheva" has been at the forefront to help his compatriots, both through affirmations and concrete projects, such as the Play Your Part fundraiser, aimed at welcoming 150 Ukrainian children to London, where the soccer player lives.

In the aftermath of his message, the Atalanta player Ruslan Malinovskyi also took the call to action, condemning the Russian invasion, then adding useful links on his Twitter TWTR and Facebook FB accounts to make donations (also in cryptocurrency) in support of the Ukrainian army on behalf of the NGO Come Back Alive.

See Also: How The Sports World Is Reacting To The Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russian soccer players have also distanced themselves from their government's position. Fedor Smolov, the forward of Dynamo Moscow, had called for a ceasefire, openly siding against the military offensive.

In the first days of the Ukraine invasion, an Italian, Roberto De Zerbi, the coach for Shakhtar Donetsk was stuck in a Kiev hotel with seven other members of his staff, and the former coach of Roma club Paulo Fonseca, both of whom returned respectively to Italy and Portugal on Feb. 28.

Katerina, Fonseca's Ukrainian wife, posted on Instagram commenting on the start of the armed conflict: "The scariest day. Pain. Anger, rage, anger and pain. My son did not deserve the war. The children of Ukraine did not deserve the war."

Among the first to speak out in support of the children were David and Victoria Beckham, who talked about: "Mothers forced to flee with their children. Families divided. Boys taken away from their beds." They then started a fundraiser, donating almost $2 million to UNICEF.

Tennis Players Step Forward

Daniil Medvedev, the 26-year-old from Moscow who recently ousted Novak Djokovic to become the new number one tennis player in the world, has released perhaps the most touching post, speaking in the name of children and their dreams.

His words must also have inspired his colleagues, and so Ukrainian tennis player, Elina Svitolina, whose family lives in Odessa, has announced that she will donate her earnings to help her country. "Until the very last moment, we believed that this would not really start," she said during an interview. "And then it all happened, at night. It really happened, it started and now everyone is terrified, everyone is heartbroken." British tennis player Andy Murray will also donate all 2022 winnings to UNICEF.

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, meanwhile, has published a message of solidarity on social media, but was careful not to violate the prohibitions imposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "With days passing, my heart is increasingly broken by the images and stories of families affected by this crisis," she wrote. Sharapova also announced her donation to Save The Children.

Meanwhile, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced that it has indefinitely canceled all tournaments on the circuit which were originally scheduled in Russia. However, in the note, the International Federation makes it clear that it does so to protect athletes, and not as a sanction against Russia.

Others have felt the urgency to help their countrymen and women by putting themselves on the front line in defense of the homeland. That includes former tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov, once ranked the 13th best player in the world, who recently retired from the international circuits. He decided to return to Ukraine to protect his compatriots.

Dolgopolov returned home with other volunteers from Zagreb, entering Ukraine through Poland. Other Ukrainian athletes joining the fight are Sergiy Stakhovski, another tennis player, and Vitali Klitschko, now mayor of Kyiv, who is a former sportsman, having been multiple world heavyweight championships.

Sanctions From The Main Federations?

During the last month, Russia has been hit by numerous international sanctions. Some of these were aimed at oligarchs close to Putin, including Roman Abramovich who hurriedly abandoned both Chelsea and his real estate properties. Meanwhile, more and more multinationals and banks have decided to suspend their activities in Russia and Belarus.

The sports world has also taken action, sanctioning both the Russian Federation and its athletes. The Champions League final was transferred from St. Petersburg to Paris, and the Russian national team was also excluded from participating in the 2022 World Cup.

Furthermore, all Russian clubs have been suspended from UEFA, Champions, Europe and Conference League until further notice and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has expressed itself recommending the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions.

Formula One's Russian Grand Prix was canceled and Haas terminated the sponsorship agreement with Russian chemical company Uralkali while firing the son of the owner, Russian driver Nikita Mazepin. In Italy, Ferrari promptly took action by allocating one million euros for refugees escaping the conflict. "We cannot remain helpless in the face of the suffering of the civilians affected," said Benedetto Vigna, CEO of the team.

Why Do Sports Matter?

While the steps taken against Russia by the sports world are certainly secondary from an economic point of view, they probably aren't in terms of national pride. Putin, at the beginning of March, was deprived of the honorary presidency of the Judo Federation, perhaps one of the positions he was most proud of.

Sports sanctions are far from symbolic, having been an integral part of the Cold War, when the United States and 64 other countries boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games in protest of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.

More recently, Russian athletes had to compete under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in the 2020 Winter Olympic Games. This was due to an anti-doping penalty instituted by the International Olympic Committee, which meant the country's athletes were not allowed to compete under the Russian flag, and the Russian national anthem was not played during medal ceremonies.