SportAccord cancels World Sport and Business Summit due to have been held in Russia

February 25, 2022

Events / Sport /

The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has drawn a range of punitive measures across the sporting world with Russia officially stripped of the UEFA Champions League final and Formula One dropping this season's Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.

The International Olympic Committee has also urged sports federations to move their events out of Russia and its ally Belarus while the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit, scheduled to have held in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg from 15th to 20th May 2022 has been cancelled.

A one line statement on the Summit released late today noted “the SportAccord Executive Committee met today and unanimously decided to cancel the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit, 15-20 May 2022 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.”

With wider economic sanctions against Russia being introduced by governments across the world there has also been a reaction across the sporting world.

A backlash against Russian state-owned companies as sporting sponsors has seen Manchester United of the English Premier League drop its partnership with Russian airline Aeroflot citing "events in Ukraine" after the airline was banned from flying to the United Kingdom

Although UEFA still has Gazprom as a Champions League sponsor, the final will no longer be staged at the St. Petersburg stadium named after the Russian state-owned energy firm. The climax to the European men's football season will still be held on 28th May but has been relocated to the French capital of Paris after a decision by UEFA's Executive Committee.

Alexander Dyukov, a Russian member of the UEFA Executive Committee, complained the decision was taken for "political reasons" while also opposing UEFA ordering Russian clubs and national sides to play at neutral venues until further notice - a ruling also imposed on Ukrainian teams.

Image: Ekaterinburg Stadium during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

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