With war escalating in Ukraine, sports and entertainment organisations have been stepping up the culture ban against Russia.
Here is a running list of what’s been affected:
Olympics
After the February 24 invasion, the International Olympic Committee issued a statement calling on sports organisations to cancel events in Russia and Belarus. Since then, the two nations have been shut out of most of the top tournaments in the world, including the Winter Paralympics in Beijing, which run from March 4 to March 13. The IOC on March 2 approved Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate under a neutral flag, but it reversed that decision on March 3 after member nations protested.
Soccer
FIFA has banned Russia from competing in the World Cup. The European football governing body, Uefa, has moved the May 28 Champions League finals from Saint Petersburg to Paris. And England’s Football Association has said it won’t be playing Russia for the foreseeable future.
Under threat of sanctions for close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is selling Chelsea FC. In a statement on the English Premier League team’s website, Abramovich said he will be donating all net proceeds from the sale to the victims of the war in Ukraine.
Manchester United, another English Premier League team, has dropped Russian airline Aeroflot as its sponsor.
Figure Skating
The International Skating Union has banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the World Championships and other international skating competitions, putting Olympians Anna Shcherbakova, Alexandra Trusova and Kamila Valieva at risk of losing their standings in the world rankings.
Hockey
The International Ice Hockey Federation has banned Russia and Belarus from its world championships and other events. The National Hockey League is suspending business partnerships, pausing Russian-language social and digital media sites, and discontinuing any consideration of Russia and Belarus as locations for future NHL competitions.
Skiing
The International Ski Federation has banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in FIS competitions, and is moving World Cup events to locations outside Russia.
Auto Racing
Russian driver Nikita Mazepin is being allowed to race in Formula 1, but only under a neutral flag. Mazepin’s father is a Russian billionaire with a majority stake in Uralkali, a sponsor of the team. The Haas team has removed sponsor decals from its race car.
The Russian Grand Prix scheduled for September 23 has been cancelled.
Tennis
The Russian Tennis Federation and the Belarus Tennis Federation have been suspended for all international tennis events. Russian tennis players including top-ranked Daniil Medvedev can continue to play, but only under a neutral flag. Rising tennis star Andrey Rublev has been one of the Russian athletes protesting against the invasion, writing “No War Please” on a TV camera at the Dubai Championships.
The ATP Challenger tournament that was scheduled to take place on February 28 in Moscow was cancelled.
Martial Arts
World Taekwondo has stripped Putin of his honorary black belt. The International Judo Federation has suspended Putin as honorary president. And the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation has suspended Russian MMA Union membership.
Other Sports
Sports federations from basketball to volleyball have also banned the two nations.
Video Games
Electronic Arts Inc is removing Russian and Belarusian teams from its NHL 22 video games, and Russian teams from FIFA 22.
Film Studios
Walt Disney Co, Sony Corp, and AT&T Inc’s WarnerMedia have paused the theatrical release of films in Russia including Pixar’s “Turning Red”, Sony’s “Morbius” and Warner Bros’ “The Batman”. Paramount Pictures said it would delay the Russian debuts of its films “The Lost City” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2 “. Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp, joined in the suspensions on March 1.
In a statement, Disney said, “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees.”
The Cannes Film Festival is not allowing Russian delegations to partake in festivities in May.
News
Russia’s parliament on Friday passed a censorship law that imposes prison terms of up to 15 years and fines against those charged with spreading “fake news” about the military. Those calling for sanctions against Russia and protesting against the invasion of Ukraine can also be punished. As a result, BBC news has pulled out of Russia, citing safety concerns for its staff.
On March 1, the National Association of Broadcasters urged US companies to stop carrying Russian state-owned media. Netflix Inc said it would defy requirements to carry Russian news channels on its local-language service in Russia. Roku Inc and DirecTV, a joint venture of AT&T and TPG Inc, have dropped the Russia-backed news network, RT. RT America then announced it was closing its US offices and laying off most of its staff, according to CNN.
Television
Netflix has also paused all projects and acquisitions from Russia, including four Russian originals in production, according to Variety.
The National Association of Television Programming Executives has banned Russian companies from participating in its international television sales market this June. WWE has terminated its partnership with Russian broadcaster Match and shut down the WWE Network in Russia.
Eurovision Song Contest, the international songwriting competition that drew 183-million viewers last year, has barred Russian acts.
On the advertising side, Cannes Lion is not allowing Russians submissions or attendance at its awards ceremony in June. WPP, one of the world’s largest ad agencies, is shutting down operations in Russia which employs nearly 1,400 people.
Live Performances
One of the largest concert promoters in the world, Live Nation Entertainment Inc, has said it won’t do shows in Russia and is dropping Russian suppliers, NPR reports. Headliners including Twenty One Pilots, the Killers and Green Day have cancelled upcoming concerts in Russia.
New York’s Carnegie Hall replaced Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev in a February 25 performance with the Vienna Philharmonic. Both artists signed an open letter supporting Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, according to the New York Times. Gergiev has since been fired as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic.
New York’s Metropolitan Opera said it will no longer engage with artists or institutions that support Putin or that are supported by him until the invasion of Ukraine stops. In the UK, the Royal Opera House has cancelled summer performances of the Bolshoi Ballet.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
From FIFA to Disney, these businesses are cutting ties with Russia
Image: Bloomberg
With war escalating in Ukraine, sports and entertainment organisations have been stepping up the culture ban against Russia.
Here is a running list of what’s been affected:
Olympics
After the February 24 invasion, the International Olympic Committee issued a statement calling on sports organisations to cancel events in Russia and Belarus. Since then, the two nations have been shut out of most of the top tournaments in the world, including the Winter Paralympics in Beijing, which run from March 4 to March 13. The IOC on March 2 approved Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate under a neutral flag, but it reversed that decision on March 3 after member nations protested.
Soccer
FIFA has banned Russia from competing in the World Cup. The European football governing body, Uefa, has moved the May 28 Champions League finals from Saint Petersburg to Paris. And England’s Football Association has said it won’t be playing Russia for the foreseeable future.
Under threat of sanctions for close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is selling Chelsea FC. In a statement on the English Premier League team’s website, Abramovich said he will be donating all net proceeds from the sale to the victims of the war in Ukraine.
Manchester United, another English Premier League team, has dropped Russian airline Aeroflot as its sponsor.
Figure Skating
The International Skating Union has banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the World Championships and other international skating competitions, putting Olympians Anna Shcherbakova, Alexandra Trusova and Kamila Valieva at risk of losing their standings in the world rankings.
Hockey
The International Ice Hockey Federation has banned Russia and Belarus from its world championships and other events. The National Hockey League is suspending business partnerships, pausing Russian-language social and digital media sites, and discontinuing any consideration of Russia and Belarus as locations for future NHL competitions.
Skiing
The International Ski Federation has banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in FIS competitions, and is moving World Cup events to locations outside Russia.
Auto Racing
Russian driver Nikita Mazepin is being allowed to race in Formula 1, but only under a neutral flag. Mazepin’s father is a Russian billionaire with a majority stake in Uralkali, a sponsor of the team. The Haas team has removed sponsor decals from its race car.
The Russian Grand Prix scheduled for September 23 has been cancelled.
Tennis
The Russian Tennis Federation and the Belarus Tennis Federation have been suspended for all international tennis events. Russian tennis players including top-ranked Daniil Medvedev can continue to play, but only under a neutral flag. Rising tennis star Andrey Rublev has been one of the Russian athletes protesting against the invasion, writing “No War Please” on a TV camera at the Dubai Championships.
The ATP Challenger tournament that was scheduled to take place on February 28 in Moscow was cancelled.
Martial Arts
World Taekwondo has stripped Putin of his honorary black belt. The International Judo Federation has suspended Putin as honorary president. And the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation has suspended Russian MMA Union membership.
Other Sports
Sports federations from basketball to volleyball have also banned the two nations.
Video Games
Electronic Arts Inc is removing Russian and Belarusian teams from its NHL 22 video games, and Russian teams from FIFA 22.
Film Studios
Walt Disney Co, Sony Corp, and AT&T Inc’s WarnerMedia have paused the theatrical release of films in Russia including Pixar’s “Turning Red”, Sony’s “Morbius” and Warner Bros’ “The Batman”. Paramount Pictures said it would delay the Russian debuts of its films “The Lost City” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2 “. Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp, joined in the suspensions on March 1.
In a statement, Disney said, “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees.”
The Cannes Film Festival is not allowing Russian delegations to partake in festivities in May.
News
Russia’s parliament on Friday passed a censorship law that imposes prison terms of up to 15 years and fines against those charged with spreading “fake news” about the military. Those calling for sanctions against Russia and protesting against the invasion of Ukraine can also be punished. As a result, BBC news has pulled out of Russia, citing safety concerns for its staff.
On March 1, the National Association of Broadcasters urged US companies to stop carrying Russian state-owned media. Netflix Inc said it would defy requirements to carry Russian news channels on its local-language service in Russia. Roku Inc and DirecTV, a joint venture of AT&T and TPG Inc, have dropped the Russia-backed news network, RT. RT America then announced it was closing its US offices and laying off most of its staff, according to CNN.
Television
Netflix has also paused all projects and acquisitions from Russia, including four Russian originals in production, according to Variety.
The National Association of Television Programming Executives has banned Russian companies from participating in its international television sales market this June. WWE has terminated its partnership with Russian broadcaster Match and shut down the WWE Network in Russia.
Eurovision Song Contest, the international songwriting competition that drew 183-million viewers last year, has barred Russian acts.
On the advertising side, Cannes Lion is not allowing Russians submissions or attendance at its awards ceremony in June. WPP, one of the world’s largest ad agencies, is shutting down operations in Russia which employs nearly 1,400 people.
Live Performances
One of the largest concert promoters in the world, Live Nation Entertainment Inc, has said it won’t do shows in Russia and is dropping Russian suppliers, NPR reports. Headliners including Twenty One Pilots, the Killers and Green Day have cancelled upcoming concerts in Russia.
New York’s Carnegie Hall replaced Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev in a February 25 performance with the Vienna Philharmonic. Both artists signed an open letter supporting Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, according to the New York Times. Gergiev has since been fired as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic.
New York’s Metropolitan Opera said it will no longer engage with artists or institutions that support Putin or that are supported by him until the invasion of Ukraine stops. In the UK, the Royal Opera House has cancelled summer performances of the Bolshoi Ballet.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
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