Two years ago, in this month of March, the world entered a nightmare without recent precedents with the fight against a global pandemicl unknown, which removed all the foundations of our society. The coronavirus also disrupted the sport as a whole, with a cascade of suspensions, postponements, readjustments and protocols, from which it has not yet fully recovered, although it is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with a certain normalization of competitions. That’s where we were when Vladimir Putin decided to invade his neighbor Ukrainewith the collaboration of Belarus, and has once again put a lump in the planet’s throat, and the sport, specifically, upside down. This time the measures only affect Russia and its accomplice, but at the same time it distorts the sports map.
After its initial lukewarmness, something in which it has not differed from its performance in the pandemic, the IOC raised the tone on Monday with a statement urging International Federations to exclude Russia and Belarus of the competitions under it. FIFA and UEFA, who already had their decisions made, were the first to pick up the gauntlet. And then almost all the others have come, bigger and smaller, driven by thison the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee, which has almost become an order. None wants to be left behind, and less after football has thrown the first stone. Sports as relevant as basketball, athletics, tennis, cycling, swimming, rugby, volleyball or sailing They have put the two countries on the street, but, obviously, only in those championships under their tutelage. Then there are the private events, and that’s another story. There, the paths are varied. While the Euroleague, for examplehas suspended Russian teams; the ATP and WTA keep their stars alive. It’s not an easy decision either, to be honest, because there will always be a debate about what an athlete is to blame for the nonsense of their politicians.