Own goal for bad sport Putin

Stripping Vladimir Putin of his cherished taekwondo ninth dan black belt, as the World Taekwando Federation has done, is unlikely to change the course of the villainous rampage the Russian despot has unleashed on Ukraine. Neither will the decision by the International Judo Federation to dismiss summarily the malevolent autocrat as its honorary president, or the International Olympic Committee’s action in taking back its top honour, the Olympic Order, which it gave him for “distinguished service to the Olympic movement” after the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. But as the two martial arts disciplines he loves most join the global sporting boycott aimed at turning Mr Putin’s Russia into an isolated international pariah, he would do well to learn from Nelson Mandela’s wise words after the odious doctrine of apartheid was defeated in South Africa in 1994.

Aware of the crucial role sports boycotts played in affecting the mood of South Africans and achieving the downfall of dominant white rule, Mandela said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite people in a way little else does … it is more powerful than governments.” Mandela was right. And as sporting bodies across the world, including Australia, join the backlash against Mr Putin, the new Russian tsar should be in no doubt about the disaster he has created for his country’s sportsmen and women, or the backlash that could have on the mood and support of Russia’s troubled people.

Even the normally pusillanimous IOC, which usually prefers not to say anything against any government, has joined the chorus of outspoken criticism. It has taken the unprecedented step of calling for all sporting events scheduled to take place in Russia and its servile client state of Belarus to be cancelled or moved immediately. The Russian Grand Prix, scheduled for Sochi in September, already has been abandoned. Some of Formula One’s biggest names, including current world champion Max Verstappen and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, have lashed out in support of Ukraine. Events including the short-course swimming world championships, due to be held in Russia in December, and the men’s volleyball world championships in August and September are under threat. So are scores of other events, with sporting bodies including the International Ski Federation announcing it will hold no more World Cup events in Russia, and tennis bodies the ATP and WTA abandoning all further tournaments in Russia.

World chess and badminton have joined the protest exodus. But the biggest blow to Mr Putin has come with the announcement that FIFA, football’s world governing body, has booted all Russian teams from all competitions, including the World Cup in Qatar in November. UEFA, the governing body of European football, has followed suit. Russians will no longer be allowed to play anywhere in democratic Europe. UEFA has terminated major sponsorship agreements with Russian energy giant Gazprom, one of the favourites of Mr Putin’s corrupt oligarch underwriters. Individual clubs across Europe have done the same. Manchester United has dumped a valuable sponsorship with Russian airline Aeroflot, which has been barred from flying anywhere in Europe. Just about every international sporting body has joined in condemning the murderous Russian invasion.

How could they do otherwise after the announcement by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Monday that it has launched an investigation into war crimes in Ukraine, aimed clearly at Mr Putin? It is to the credit of sports bodies everywhere, including Australia’s, that they have not hesitated to join the global outrage over Ukraine. Mr Putin’s monstrous assault, as well as his appalling human rights record against opponents, is every bit as reprehensible as apartheid in South Africa was. Under his despotic rule, Russia deserves the same boycotts and isolation that helped end oppressive white minority rule.