The invasion of Ukraine could further undermine Russia’s status as an elite sports dynasty, which already has been weakened by deception and doping scandals but often punished only by a tepid pushback from international sports bodies.
One economics professor estimated the financial loss of the Champions League final could be in the tens of millions of dollars, a fraction of what Russia might forfeit from all the relocated events. But, he said, money is a small part of what motivates Putin.
Russia's power in the world sports community is most sharply defined by its relationship with the IOC. Even though Putin's country officially was banned from the Beijing Games, it fielded a team of more than 200 athletes competing as members of the “Russian Olympic Committee.” They combined to win 32 medals, the second-biggest haul at the Games.Every bit as notable was that Putin attended the opening ceremony with IOC leader Thomas Bach at Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium.
Despite the rhetoric, Bach would have to reverse years of precedent in his relatively soft treatment of Russia in the country's long-running doping scandals. What steps he takes to back up the IOC's most recent show of displeasure will shape Russia's role in world sports for the next decade or longer.
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