In February, soon after the Russian army escalated aggression on its Ukrainian border that the talks to isolate Russia all over the world started. Going well beyond the economic sanctions by the West, independent sports organisations thought to counter Russia by making Russian players pay for their government’s actions.
At a time when the politics to completely shadow Russia in the sports arena continues, many in India are asking if India should impose similar costs on our rogue neighbour Pakistan.
The global isolation of Russia in sports
The Ukraine-Russia tussle has caught the ire of the international sports community while many have asked to ban Russia from participating in sports competitions and leagues in the future. The International Olympics Committee (IOC) sought to meet its members to discuss the means to counter Russia through sports amidst the challenging geopolitical scenario. Withdrawing the Olympic order from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the IOC asked sports organisations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and sports officials from participating in any international events. The IOC said the move was needed to “protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants.”
IOC Executive Board recommends no participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officialshttps://t.co/XZyLIi11XR
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) February 28, 2022
Soon after IOC’s open stand against Russia, European football governing body UEFA confirmed that Russian players will be completely banned from the FIFA and UEFA tournaments. A statement issued by the Executive Committee of UEFA reiterated their stance saying, “Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people,”
FIFA and UEFA have suspended Russia from all international football, including the men’s 2022 World Cup and women’s Euro 2022. pic.twitter.com/ZdxVTnMBf2
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 28, 2022
Apart from Institutionalised sanctions against Russia, it was the Russian players who were made responsible for the invasion putting their positions and stature at stake. Daniel Medvedev, the Russian tennis player who fared well at the ATP 500 tournament is on the verge of losing his position as world number one. Meanwhile the Russian football team Spartak Moscow is also banned by the UEFA from participating in the ongoing Champions League finale which was due to take place in St Petersburg on May 28, 2021.
With the blanket ban on Russia by the European clout in International sports, Russian Paralympians are also barred from playing in the Winter Paralympics in Beijing. The move has threatened the careers of individuals much more than holding their national leaders responsible. The ban on Russian players has also grappled the advertising sector with The US life insurance company, MassMutual pulling out an ad featuring hockey team Washington Capitals’ Russian captain Alexander Ovechkin.
Should India continue to engage with Pakistan?
While the politics of sports continues to rule the roost due to western hegemony, clouds have gathered over the fate of India-Pakistan bilateral participation despite repeated terror advances of the latter on Indian soil. While Indian relations with Pakistan remain to be contentious over the issue of Pakistan’s occupation in Kashmir, it has continued to unleash terror activities, spy wars and propaganda wars through media to disturb India’s internal security.
Despite its control over cricketing organizations like the International Cricket Council (ICC) and having the robust BCCI on the national level, India has failed to deliver its narrative in the sports arena. However, like the West, India’s cricketing credentials too can become an extension of its diplomacy in a way to counter Pakistan, provided it realises to tap this potential. Not only it can send messages across the globe to isolate the semi-terror state, but it also does make Pakistan suffer in more ways than one when its cricket is discouraged.
It is to be realised that the ideals of separating Sports and Politics do not hold much water in challenging geopolitical situations. When Europe and the West decide to go well beyond the supposed rules-based order to target Russia, maybe there is much reason for India to show Pakistan its place through Cricket. While the argument that in this case the Jihadi military complex of Pakistan should be separated from the aspirations of its local cricket-loving population, it is also to be considered that holding cricket matches is much a diplomatic exercise as compared to its sheer entertainment value. Talking about this, George Orwell once described the nationalism charged by matches happening around the world as ‘War minus the shooting’.
Going further, one also needs to look back at the instances of Pakistani cricket players seeing matches with India as a war against the Kafirs. From Shoaib Akhtar’s belief in Pakistani Punjabis as a special race to Waqar Younis’s defence of offering Namaz in front of Hindu players are enough to tell you that Jihad surely finds a place in Pakistani cricket’s raison d’être. Then the question before India lies whether it should serve its strategic goals through its contained soft-power in Cricket.
When the Pulwama attack was unleashed by Pakistan and targetted killings in Jammu and Kashmir were on a rampant rise, Indian politicians across the board – barring Congress asserted the fact that Pakistan’s engagement with Cricket with India and its exercises in terrorism cannot go hand in hand. The increased influence of politics in sports all over the world can thus prove to be a strategic tool for India in countering Pakistan.
