Moscow advances sports agenda
Lithuania lost its right to host an April 2027 international pentathlon tournament on October 19 because it refused visas for Russian and Belarusian athletes. On October 25, the International Weightlifting Federation announced that its 2030 championship will take place in Moscow. This is the first high-level contest awarded to Russia since the 2022 invasion. I view this as a direct contradiction to the diplomatic goals the EU is trying to establish. On October 13, Kaja Kallas told journalists that "Sports and culture must not become vehicles for whitewashing Russian aggression" and said the European External Action Service, together with the Commission, will put forward proposals on how to sustain Russia’s isolation.
EU struggles to respond
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys called the pentathlon decision shameful and urged the EU to tighten restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under national colors, expand visa bans, and cut support for those enabling state-sponsored propaganda. Matvii Bidnyi, Ukraine’s Sports Minister, told public broadcaster Suspilne that Kyiv will boycott the weightlifting tournament in Moscow. He described the choice of host as an alarming and unacceptable signal which suggests that the influence of Russians in some international federations is extremely strong. I find the weightlifting federation’s choice particularly galling because Russian missile and drone attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian athletes and coaches and destroyed hundreds of sports facilities since the conflict began. Eva Hrncirova, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said the executive arm regrets both decisions but noted that international federations remain responsible for decision making in line with the autonomy of sport. She said both federations and member states should act in line with EU sanctions and values, though the Commission is facilitating coordinated action among member states and with like-minded international partners to resist the instrumentalization of sport by Russia and Belarus. While the European External Action Service and the Commission will put forward proposals on how to sustain Russia’s isolation in global sports, the EU has not yet announced when new measures will arrive.
