Wickenheiser, Virtue among 42 former Canadian Olympians banned from entering Russia

12.04.2023 - 19:39 cbc.ca

Hayley Wickenheiser, Tessa Virtue and Clara Hughes are among dozens of former Canadian Olympians banned from entering Russia for signing a statement encouraging the removal of Russian athletes from next year's Paris Olympics amid the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was closing its borders to 333 Canadians, most of whom are politicians, in response to the Canadian government periodically imposing sanctions against Russia.

The list includes a group of 42 retired Canadian Olympians who signed a statement last month urging the Canadian Olympic Committee to reject the idea of allowing Russians to participate in the 2024 Games unless Russia withdraws from Ukraine.

The COC said in a statement last month that it supports the exclusion of athletes representing Russia and Belarus from international sport as long as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues.

Sporting athletics Paris Olympics Paris Games Russia Ukraine Belarus

GENEVA — European lawmakers urged the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Paris Games rather than keep seeking ways to let them compete as neutrals in international sport.

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PARIS: World Triathlon on Thursday opened the way for athletes from Russia and Belarus, banned from competition since March 2022 after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, to once again compete in its competitions. The executive board of the global governing body of triathlon said it supported the recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of a “return to competition of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports in international competitions.” The board also approved “the lifting of the suspension applied to the countries’ participations in World Triathlon events at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” “In principle, World Triathlon supports the development of a pathway for independent neutral individual Athletes and Officials with Russian and Belarusian passports to participate in our sports.” The board added it “reaffirms its solidarity with Ukraine in the face of the ongoing war with Russia, and that the independence of any athlete or official was an absolute condition of their returning to a World Triathlon event.” Athletes from Russia and Belarus have faced sanctions from a multitude of sports since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.

Canadian Olympians among 333 banned from entering Russia

Some of Canada's best known athletes, including Olympic gold medallists Tessa Virtue and Hayley Wickenheiser, have been included on a list of 333 Canadians banned from entering Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

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