As the Russo-Ukraine war is escalating, global federations are taking extreme measures against Russia. Earlier this week, the IOC recommended banning the Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in events.
It looks that now AusCycling is officially supporting these decisions, the governing body has announced that teams from Russia and Belarus will not be able to compete in the UCI Road World Championships that will be held in September in Wollongong. With that being said, there has been no official verdict from UCI as of yet.
As things are escalating quickly, high-ranking Russian officials including President Vladimir Putin were removed from the Olympic Order. They even went on to say that the international sports federations will not be allowing athletes or officials from Russia or Belarus to participate. The Australian National Committee was swift to back up this decision and regulations are already in place.
AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carol stated:
We all want peace and for Russia to immediately withdraw from Ukraine.
We are certainly urging our member sports not to invite teams or athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus or rescind any invitations that may have been issued – and to withdraw Australian athletes and officials from any sports events where Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials may be participating.
As we discussed before, banning Russian athletes is going to prove more difficult than just saying. An investigation is also being led to figure out what kind of sports will be affected by this decision. Will it be for all sports or just a selective few?
There is no doubt that this recommendation was hard, as Australia was not even planning on sending teams that would be affected by this sudden decision. Although, they emphasized that if the world events do not change then these athletes from Belarus and Russia will not be allowed to take part in the UCI Championships that is on track for September 18th, 2022.
AusCycling stated:
We have reviewed our competition schedule and there are no events in either country that our athletes were planning to attend.
The only domestic event which could involve teams from those nations is the UCI Road World Championships due to be held in Wollongong in September. We will continue to discuss the situation with the UCI and other relevant authorities, but at this stage and consistent with the approach of the IOC, AOC, and other Australian sports, no Russian or Belarusian national teams would be permitted to compete.
As Australia is opening its doors again, the UCI Road Championships in Wollongong is going to be the first international cycling event since January 2021, as they had to close down their borders due to COVID-19. Here’s to hoping that escalations tone down and things go back to normal. Stay tuned for more updates!
Also Read: IOC Advises Federations To Bar Russian Athletes Over Ukraine Invasion
Featured Image Via YouTube/Red Bull Bike
