Skating chiefs ‘make decision’ on Russian stars
No Russians will be involved in the International Skating Union's (ISU) annual awards at the end of the Olympic season because of the attack on Ukraine, a report has said.
The third edition of the awards are set to take place in July, when Russian stars such as Winter Olympics champion Anna Shcherbakova could have been contenders for honors.
Despite dominating the season at world and junior levels, the ISU will exile Russians from the awards in the latest sanction against the country by a sporting body as a consequence of the conflict, according to Match TV.
Legendary Russian skaters and coaches Tamara Moskvina and Alexei Mishin were among the winners at the virtual edition of the awards in 2021.
Moskvina and Mishin earned Lifetime Achievement Awards, and Shcherbakova and world pairs skating champions Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov gave live performances as part of the event.
Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from ISU events on March 1, five days after the attack on Ukraine began.
In a statement, the union said it had taken into account an International Olympic Committee call to sanction sportspeople from the countries.
"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," it added.
Russian athletes competed under a neutral Russian Olympic Committee banner at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in February as part of a World Anti-Doping Agency ruling.
The Russian team won gold in spectacular style at the showpiece, although the medal ceremony did not take place because of a doping case involving teenage star Kamila Valieva, and the result from the competition is yet to be ratified.
The International Paralympic Committee initially allowed the Russian team to travel to the Paralympic Games, which ended in Beijing on Sunday.
That decision was reversed a day before the Games started, leaving many athletes and coaches distraught after the committee acted over the Ukraine conflict.
Other major sporting authorities to have outlawed Russians from competing in competitions include football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA and the International Ice Hockey Federation.
