Ukraine war: NBA suspends its business in Russia, says report
According to Mark Burns of Sports Business Journal, the NBA has announced that it is suspending all business activities in Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine.
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FollowEven as Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, several sporting leagues the world over have snapped ties with Moscow, with the famous basketball league NBA being the latest to join the list.
According to Mark Burns of Sports Business Journal, an NBA spokesperson confirmed that they have suspended all business activities in Russia, including digital and broadcast content distribution, with no timeline to return.
Sacramento Kings centre Alex Len and Toronto Raptors wing Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, the only two NBA players from Ukraine, had earlier released a joint statement condemning Russia's invasion and called for peace, while former Boston Celtics centre Enes Freedom urged for a complete Russian ban from the international sporting community.
The move to suspend business activities in Russia is unlikely to carry heavy financial consequences for NBA, which currently has zero active Russian players. However, basketball's biggest league joining other sports governing bodies in sanctioning Russia is nevertheless a huge shot in the arm of those supporting Ukraine.
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Here is a list of some of the actions taken against Russia by various sporting associations:
FIFA and UEFA have banned the Russian national soccer team from international competition, including the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
UEFA has moved its May 28 Champions League final from Russia's Saint Petersberg to Paris.
The IIHF has banned the Russian national hockey team from international competition.
The NHL has suspended all business activities in Russia.
The IOC has recommended all Russian athletes be banned from international competitions.
World Athletics has banned all Russian track and field athletes from international competitions and pulled events from the country.
FIBA has suspended the Russian national basketball team from international competition.
The ISU has banned all Russian figure skaters from international competition.
The FIS has banned all Russian skiers from international competition.
The ATP, WTA, and ITF have suspended all events in Russia and are making all Russian tennis players compete as neutral athletes.
The IVF has pulled its men's world championship from Russia and banned Russian volleyball clubs.
The four major boxing organizations have stopped sanctioning any matches in Russia, and the WBO may remove Russian boxers from its rankings.
Formula 1 has removed the Russian Grand Prix from its 2022 calendar.
Motorsport UK has banned all Russian drivers.
EA Sports have removed all Russian teams from its FIFA video game series.
The International Judo Federation has stripped Russian president Vladimir Putin, a big judo fan, from his role as honorary president.
Also read:Â Football world mourns death of two Ukrainian players; hail them as heroes
This wave of bans and sanctions from sporting communities globally is indicative of the pariah status Russia has earned for its widely condemned invasion of Ukraine. Although isolating Russia from the world of sports may not be a huge concern for Moscow at present, it still serves as a reminder of just how livid the international community is with Vladimir Putin's decision.
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