By Eric Vallen
Surprisingly, wars interrupt everyday life. Seeing as Russia won’t back out of its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, its foreign relations are crumbling as we speak. Nearly all active United Nations members denounced the war, with heavy economic sanctions against the entire Russian economy in an attempt to wane their war effort. In light of this, government and private funding for sports in Russia have seen a massive decrease, leading to disbanding of several teams. Continuing their doctrine of not entirely involving themselves in the war, western countries have imposed a ban on Russian Olympic teams for the ongoing winter Olympics, and are considering a ban for the 2024 summer Olympics. On lesser international scales, Russian athletes are still allowed to play and participate in tournaments as of March 14. However, talks are ongoing as to their playing status for the future. Unsurprisingly, there are tensions concerning sports on the inside of Russia as well. Certain Russian oligarchs have spoken out against Putin’s regime and their ongoing war, and they have since seen their teams disbanded. American women’s basketball star, Britney Griner, was recently arrested in Russia for having cannabis capsules, but it’s more likely that she was arrested for playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg, owned by Andrei Kozitskyn, who actively speaks against Putin. As a result of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine, its sports scene has shrunk significantly, as the outside world closes it down and it destroys itself from the inside through political tensions. These situations in Russia may spell downfall for the rest of Europe, as war is likely to spread, and sports are likely to fall on the priority list for western countries.