Sports leagues and professional athletes are hitting Russia with their own kinds of sanctions as Vladimir Putin's military persists in its invasion of Ukraine.
The International Olympic Committee alsofrom competitions for violating the "Olympic Truce." Liberty Media-owned Formula One could relocate an event. The National Hockey League has spoken out, too.
But Ovechkin received backlash for not condemning Putin, the Russian president. "I'm not involved in politics. I'm an athlete," the hockey legend said. In a statement, IIHF president Luc Tardif said the organization isn't a "political entity and cannot influence the decisions being taken over the war in Ukraine." Yet, "nevertheless have a duty of care to all of our members and participants and must therefore do all we can to ensure that we are able to operate our events in a safe environment for all teams taking part in the IIHF World Championship program.
The NHL also suspended agreements with Russian companies. Last September, the NHL struck its first exclusive deal in Russia after agreeing to terms with sports betting company Liga Stavok. The league added it would stop Russian language social media and digital sites and wouldn't consider Russia for future NHL events.
"Business is not going to be as usual," while the invasion persists, Schiller said. He added, "if I was a scout for the NHL, I'm not getting on a plane and going to Russia. That's not going to happen." "Soccer to the average Russian is as big as the National Football League is to the average American," said Hill, an expert on corruption in international sports. "It's a massive cultural phenomenon."
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