Estonia stripped of major sports event over ban on Russian athletes
The European Shooting Confederation (ESC) decided on Monday to move a major competition from Estonia to Spain due to the Baltic state’s refusal to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete.
Russian and Belarusian athletes have been barred from nearly all international events since the Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022. Several sports federations have since reversed course, lifting restrictions on competitors from the two countries.
According to Estonian Public Broadcasting, the ESC warned Estonia’s national shooting federation that all eligible athletes must be allowed to take part in the European Air Gun Championships in March 2027, which will serve as a qualifying event for the 2027 European Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The championship has been moved from the Estonian capital, Tallinn to Granada, Spain because of Estonia’s ban on Russian and Belarusian citizens taking part in sporting events in Estonia.
“Of course, it is regrettable that we will not have the opportunity to host the 2027 European Air Gun Championships. However, the Estonian Shooting Sport Federation adheres to the policy of the Estonian state and therefore cannot allow citizens of Belarus or Russia to enter Estonia,” Vahur Karus, the president of the Estonian Shooting Sport Federation, said.
Estonia has been one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters in the conflict with Russia, advocating tougher sanctions on Moscow and increased weapons supplies to Kiev. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has denounced Estonia’s hardline stance as “maniacal Russophobia.”
A number of sports governing bodies have since relaxed restrictions on Russian athletes, including the international federations for fencing, judo, taekwondo, wrestling, aquatic sports, and gymnastics.
Last month, however, the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca went against a recent decision by the global governing body World Gymnastics (WG) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete with their national flags and anthems.
According to Russian team spokesman Linar Ginatullin, the organizers told them that neither the Russian flag nor its anthem would be permitted when Russian athletes win events. The Russian team refused to take part due to this “gross violation of the competition regulations,” he said.
Moscow has said the politicization of sports is unacceptable and has accused the West of applying double standards to countries involved in armed conflicts. In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the International Olympic Committee to “stop using international sports as an instrument of politics.”
