Global sports equipment giant Adidas announced on Tuesday that it had suspended its sponsorship with the Russian Football Federation due to the invasion of Ukraine, a spokesman said.
“Adidas suspends its sponsorship with the Russian Football Federation with immediate effect,” explained the company, which in 2020 made 2.9% of its turnover in the region of Russia, Ukraine and countries of the former USSR.
Russia isolated from football, volleyball and other sports
After the call made on Monday by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sporting events, the rain of sanctions continued this Tuesday: the organization of the Volleyball World Cup has been withdrawn from Russia and its skaters, known worldwide, will not be able to compete “until further notice”.
With its call “not to invite or allow the participation of Russian or Belarusian athletes and official representatives in international competitions” and the withdrawal of any Olympic distinction from its top officials, including Vladimir Putin, the IOC has broken with its long tradition of not intervene in political or geopolitical debates.
FIFA and UEFA reacted immediately, excluding Russia from the World Cup, in which they should have played the play-off against Poland on March 24.
After a long silence, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced that it was going to entrust the organization of the World Cup, scheduled for August and September, to another country.
The FIVB was under pressure after France and Poland, Olympic and world champions respectively, announced they would boycott the competition if the venue was not changed.
rugby obeys
Following IOC guidance, World Rugby announced the suspension “until further notice” of Russia and Belarus in a statement “condemning Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine”.
This suspension means that the Russian team, in the final phase of the European qualifier, will not be able to participate in the 2023 World Cup in France.
Sochi without F1
Sochi is symbolic of the use of sport to gain political influence. Host city of the Winter Games in 2014, it hosts the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix. But this will not be the case this season: the promoter of the competition, Formula One, has decided to cancel it.
The American team Haas, for its part, decided not to wear the Russian colors of its sponsor Uralkali on its single-seaters. The future in F1 of Nikita Mazepin, the son of a Uralkali manager and who was to drive one of the two Haas cars, is also up in the air.
