Russian sports federation incorporates part of Ukraine and is expelled from world sport

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has suspended the activities of the National Badminton Federation of Russia (NBFR), Reuters reports. The reason was a violation of the terms of membership.

The BWF said that the NBFR had included "territories under the jurisdiction of Ukraine" in its jurisdiction.

"These are the Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia," the agency added.

The decision was made at a meeting of the BWF board on November 11 and must be confirmed by members at next year's annual general meeting in Chengdu, China.

The BWF said the Russian athletes would be allowed to compete as "independent neutral athletes".

In a statement to Reuters, the NBFR said that the BWF's decision "worsens the development of badminton in the world, creates serious stressful situations and does not contribute to a fair resolution of the situation."

The body added that it "will probably prove the injustice of this decision by all legal means."

As a reminder, the BWF disqualified Russian and Belarusian athletes in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine. Belarus is used as a key foothold for Russia's war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special operation."

As OBOZ.UA reported, last September, Putin announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions occupied by Russian troops. After Russia staged "referendums" on the "accession" of the partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, Moscow held a "signing ceremony" with Kremlin-supplied gauleiters.

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