Russia banned from international ice skating events after Ukraine invasion
Days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the International Skating Union (ISU) announced it is barring all Russian ice skaters from participating in international skating competitions.
The ISU said in a statement that no skaters from Russia and Belarus "shall be invited or allowed to participate in International ice skating Competitions including ISU Championships and other ISU Events." Belarus is a close ally of Russia.
"The ISU Council will continue to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the ISU activity and will take additional steps if and when required," the ISU said.
The ISU said it was considering IOC's call to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions when making its decision, as well as appeals from ISU members and others. It's another hit to Russian figure skating, less than a month after 15-year-old Kamila Valieva became the subject of a doping scandal in the middle of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The ISU is among many sports organizations that have taken actions against Russian athletes or officials in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine.
The FIVB, the governing body of volleyball, said on Tuesday that all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs are "not eligible" to participate in all international and continental events. World Taekwondo, the international governing body of the sport, stripped Russian President Vladimir Putin's black belt and condemned Russian attacks on Ukraine. FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian national teams and clubs from all international soccer matches "until further notice."
