Outrage over Russia’s exclusion! Sad screams of protest from one Russian athlete after another.

Russian athletic organizations have filed a series of complaints with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The complaints are against measures taken by international athletic organizations to deny recognition to Russian athletes as a response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The lawsuits were filed by Russian soccer, skating, biathlon, rowing, rugby, and gymnastics. The gymnastics team includes Nikita Nagorny, the individual all-around bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, and top figure skaters Evgeniya Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, silver medalists in the pairs at the Beijing Olympics.

The Russian Olympic Committee also filed a complaint with the European Olympic Committee against the refusal of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials to participate in the 2022 European Winter Youth Games.

Russia is fiercely opposed to the exclusion of Russia from the sporting world. In response to the exclusion of Russian athletes from the Figure Skating World Championships, Russia held the “Channel One Cup” behind the scenes. Anna Scherbakova, the gold medalist in women’s singles at the Beijing Olympics, Alexandra Trusova, the silver medalist, and Kamila Valiyeva, the fourth-place finisher, will all compete in this event, which has led to the comment, “This is a more important event! In Russia, there were voices such as

However, the players cannot hide their concerns. Anna Scherbakova, the gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics, who had a spectacular run at the Channel One Cup, said when asked about her future, “Right now I want to rest. We will see what happens. （If the confusion continues, it will affect my decision.

Although they cannot say what they really feel, Russian athletes have a deep-seated belief that they were not involved in the invasion of Ukraine. Please separate politics from sports.

Of course, sports fans around the world are aware of this, but it is also understandable that international sports organizations are wary that a world-class event cannot be used to enhance Russia’s national prestige. It is a complicated issue that is difficult to resolve for both the athletes and the fans. I can only hope that the world will become a peaceful place where people can enjoy sports as soon as possible.