WBC Set To Remove Russian And Belarusian Boxers From The Rankings Due To Ukrainian War
This is not the first time a sport has decided against Russian athletes.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) has clarified its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The organization announced on Tuesday that all fighters from Russia and Belarus will be removed from the world rankings.
This is not the first time a sport has decided against Russian athletes. For example, FIFA agreed to remove Russia from the FIFA World Cup. Similarly, the Wimbledon tennis tournament removed Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament.
“All fighters from Russia and Belarus are being removed from the WBC rankings,” Sulaiman said at the convention Tuesday, according to Sky Sports. “The WBC will not sanction any fights in those two countries, and no national citizen from those two countries can compete for a WBC championship title.
However, the WBC council will consider the exceptions for Russian and Belarusian natives who train elsewhere. For example, Dmitry Bivol lives in the USA despite being born in Russia.
WBC has also said that athletes will be exempted if they have condemned Russia’s actions.
“I wish to express our deep regret for the athletes, for the promoters, for the members of the boxing industry from Russia and Belarus who will suffer with these consequences of the actions outside the ring. The WBC believes in peace, believes in fair play, and believes in human dignity.”