Sporting bodies move to ban Russian athletes amid invasion of Ukraine

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continued on Monday, sporting bodies moved to bar Russian athletes from competing in international events, with FIFA and UEFA suspending Russia's national teams and clubs from international football.

The move makes it likely that Russia will be excluded from this year's World Cup and the women's Euro 2020 tournament.

"FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice," UEFA said in a statement.

In a statement the Russian Football Federation said it "categorically disagreed" with the decision and added that it was contrary to the "spirit of sports".

UEFA also confirmed RB Leipzig had been given a walkover into the Europa League quarter-finals after their last-16 match with Spartak Moscow was called off and added that the governing body has cancelled its sponsorship deal with Russian energy company Gazprom.

Earlier on Monday, the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) executive board recommended sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events.

The IOC said its executive board made the decision "in order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants".

The Russian Olympic Committee categorically disagreed with the IOC, saying the decision "contradicts both the regulatory documents of the IOC and the (Olympic) Charter".

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina said she will not play against Russia's Anastasia Potapova in the Monterrey Open, and refused to play against any Russian or Belarusian players until tennis' governing bodies implement the