On 1 March 2022, Russian invaders took the life of Yevhen Malyshev, a promising 19-year-old biathlete from Kharkiv, reports biathlon.com.ua.
“Six days since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine! Today, the Russian invaders took the life of a young defender of Ukraine, Yevhen Malyshev. The young athlete was defending his hometown, Kharkiv. Eternal memory! Heroes never die!” reads the statement of the the Biathlon Federation of Ukraine .
Yevhen Malyshev recently joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Just two years ago, he was part of the national junior biathlon team.
Yevhen would have turned 20 on March 10.
Czech biathletes announced that they would wear blue and yellow armbands at the upcoming events of the 2021-22 Biathlon World Cup in Norway.
Some events scheduled to be held in Russia have been moved. Many Russian athletes have spoken out against the war.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has urged sports organizations to cancel or move all events planned for Russia and Belarus and to stop using the countries’ flags and national anthems.
These measures will likely affect the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics that are scheduled to begin next week (March 4 – March 13).
The International Ski Federation has announced Russia will not host any more of its World Cup events this winter.
The UEFA Champions League final, which was scheduled for May 28 in St. Petersburg, Russia, has been moved to Paris, France, for the same date.
FIFA and UEFA have suspended all Russian teams from competitions, banning them “until further notice”.
The European curling championships, scheduled to be held in November in Perm, Russia, will also be relocated.
Ukrainian football star Oleksandr Zinchenko was one of the first high-profile sports figures to speak out following Russia’s invasion, saying he “hopes Putin dies”. West Ham football star Andriy Yarmolenko has reportedly donated over 3 million hryvnias (approx. US $100,000) to the Ukrainian army.
The St. Petersburg Open tennis tournament has been moved to the Kazakhstan capital, Nur-Sultan.
Formula One announced that it was canceling the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, scheduled for September 25.
The Swedish government said it was going to try and persuade the other 27 EU states to impose a blanket sports ban on Russia for “as long as the invasion of Ukraine lasts”.
