In just a few days, Eugene will host over 190 countries and 3,000 athletes for a 10-day showcase of some of the best athletes on the planet. But, as countries from across the world prepare to send their best athletes to Track Town, two familiar groups will not be able to compete under the Hayward Field lights. Russia and Belarus will not be in attendance after being banned by World Athletics.

The sports governing body announced the ban on March 1. The ban also excluded the two countries and their athletes from the World Athletics Indoor Championships back in late March of this year, adding to a long list of suspensions and sanctions stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. 

“The world is horrified by what Russia has done, aided and abetted by Belarus,” World Athletics CEO Sebastian Coe said in a press release about the ban. “The unprecedented sanctions that are being imposed on Russia and Belarus by countries and industries all over the world appear to be the only peaceful way to disrupt and disable Russia’s current intentions and restore peace.”

The Russian Athletics Federation already has a ban that’s been imposed since 2015 after several doping and performance enhancement scandals in the 2014 Sochi Olympics came to light. This ban from World Athletics will extend this ban. Belarus had no prior bans for doping. 

Coe’s suspension appears harsher than many others. Unlike Olympic bans, athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be able to compete as “neutral” participants. A release from the World Athletics states that “all athletes, support personnel and officials from Russia and Belarus will be excluded from all World Athletics Series events for the foreseeable future, with immediate effect.”

The “foreseeable future” also includes a prohibition on international events taking place in either of the two countries. The domino effect continues for Russia and Belarus as more and more countries and events turn away from Moscow and Minsk. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Belarus’s unwavering support turned the heads of the world and has led to many other bans. Politics and sports seem to be overlapping in their goals to punish Russia for its actions. Along with many economic and political sanctions, Russia and Belarus were also banned from the World Junior Hockey Championship, and Russia has been ejected from contention for the 2022 World Cup by FIFA.

The unison between politics and sports can often be looked down upon and seen as controversial. World Athletics stands with Ukraine and efforts to resolve conflict in Europe. It has less to do with sports, it claims, and more to do with unity. 

“While we understand the implications of this decision for Authorized Neutral Athletes from Russia and Belarusian athletes who may not be condoning their nations’ deplorable military action in Ukraine,” commission chair Renaud Lavillenie said, “we cannot ignore the message that inclusion of these two nations’ athletes would send to our friends in Ukraine and the rest of the world.”

The hope is that the continuous barring of Russian and Belarusian teams will peacefully demonstrate the World Athletics’ disapproval of the invasion of Ukraine with aspirations that amends are in the works. Should there be significant progress before the start of the World Athletics Championships, which begin in Eugene on July 15, the organization could look into reversing the ban and allowing these countries and athletes to compete for glory in Oregon.