International Olympic Committee places politics above athletes' rights to compete as it reacts to Russia-Ukraine war

Star Belarusian basketballer and two-time Olympian Yelena Leuchanka was arrested, beaten and imprisoned for joining street protests against her country's government in late 2020.

Her sport's profile helped raise the issue of her treatment internationally, encouraging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to place sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who was also head of the country's national Olympic committee.

Overnight, under the IOC's recommendation to all sports that athletes and officials from Belarus and Russia be banned from international events in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, the sport world that saved Leuchanka has now abandoned her.

She is not the only one.

Athletes in Russia who have also put themselves at risk in the past week by protesting and publicly speaking against the invasion of Ukraine — such as World Cup footballer Fedor Smolov, NHL hockey star Alex Ovechkin and two-time Olympic gold medal figure skater Tatiana Volosozhar — have also been abandoned.

Prominent Russian athletes are making it clear they are against the war in Ukraine, writes Tracey Holmes.

With player unions and associations deciding they are there to represent some — who by an accident of birth are on the «right side» of the Russia-Ukraine war – but not others, any pretence that the sport world operated above politics has finally been discarded.

New men's tennis world number one Daniil Medvedev may now be unable to do his job at the French Open, because he comes from Russia.

If the Court of Arbitration for Sport was not busy before, it will be now.

No longer can the IOC claim it operates above politics.

The Olympic Truce — a United Nations resolution supported by an overwhelming number of nations ahead of each