The ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics is "illegal" and violates the principle of separating sport from politics, Russian officials have said.

IPC President Andrew Parsons:

"At the IPC we are very firm believers that sport and politics should not mix. However, by no fault of its own the war [in Ukraine] has now come to these Games and behind the scenes many governments are having an influence on our cherished event."

In a strongly-worded statement, the RPC said the organization and Russian athletes were being seen as culprits, when in reality they have done

"nothing that could in any way be interpreted as participating in the current political complications. On the contrary, in full accordance with the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the RPC removed from its governing bodies any persons who had any relation to political structures.

"In this regard, the RPC considers the decision of the IPC illegal and reserves the right to defend the rights and interests of Russian Paralympic athletes in sports and other judicial instances.

"Of course, the RPC will continue to work on the development of domestic physical culture and sports among people with disabilities and the creation of all necessary conditions for this."

Reacting to the Paralympic ban, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it

"horrible. This is a shame for the International Paralympic Committee. I can't say otherwise. Yesterday, one decision was made, today this decision was changed, so, of course, we strongly condemn the International Paralympic Committee."

Russian State Duma Deputy Boris Paykin, who is a member of the Committee on Physical Culture and Sport, said the country could organize its own event for Paralympic athletes.

"These days we are no longer surprised that politics has taken over sport and its most important principles. But the decision of the International Paralympic Committee, which only yesterday announced that Russians and Belarusians will be able to take part in the Beijing Games, but today in a cowardly way and under obvious pressure, is changing its position - this is the height of cynicism and double standards.

"Our Paralympic athletes are people of special courage, they have enough inner strength not only to overcome illnesses, but also to realize their potential in the sports arena... I think that for Belarusian and Russian athletes we should organize a sports festival here, in Russia."

https://www.rt.com/sport/551125-russia-response-paralympic-ban/

Video game giant EA Sports has removed Russian teams from its popular FIFA video game series, the company has confirmed.

Football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA are among the organizations to follow the IOC's calls, and Russia's sporting exclusion has now been extended to video games.

"EA Sports has initiated processes to remove the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from EA Sports FIFA products including: FIFA 22, FIFA Mobile and FIFA Online. We're also actively evaluating related changes to other areas of our games. We will keep our communities up to date on any actions taken, and thank players for their patience as we work through these updates."

Days after it was revealed that this season's Sochi Grand Prix was to be shelved following Russia's conflict in Ukraine, Formula 1 chiefs have announced that they have terminated their contract in Russia after determining that racing in the country is no longer viable.

The Russian Grand Prix was due to move to St. Petersburg in 2023, with this no longer happening despite it reportedly being one of the most financially lucrative races on the F1 annual calendar.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was key in establishing the race in 2014 in Sochi after the Winter Olympic Games were held in the region, but the decision means that F1 will now leave Russia for an indeterminate period.

The decision comes shortly after the FIA announced that it would continue to allow Russian drivers to compete in global motorsports, and represents a rare difference of opinion between Formula 1 and its governing body. Russian drivers such as Haas' Nikita Mazepin will be forced to race under a neutral flag.

It also comes days after the UK's national motorsport authority announced a ban on all Russian drivers.

However, this week the IOC - to which the FIA has official links - introduced a wave of new measures to punish Russian and Belarusian athletes, saying on Tuesday that

"event organizers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions... in order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all participants."

© Visual China Group/Getty ImagesOlympic Champion Alina Kabaeva

The sweeping sanctions being placed on Russian athletes amounts to the "most disgraceful page in the history of world sports," former rhythmic gymnastics Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva has said.

Governing sports federations from football to canoeing have since heeded that call by either suspending athletes from the two countries altogether or insisting that they compete as neutrals.

Former Olympic rhythmic gymnastics all-around gold medalist Kabaeva described the situation as shameful, as she hit out at the measures and questioned why Russians were being punished for a military conflict when athletes from other nations had escaped anything similar in past years. The nine-time world champion told TASS;

"I believe there has never been a more disgraceful page in the history of world sports. The leadership of many international sports organizations has long been engaged in completely unsportsmanlike affairs under various pretexts. Now it is no longer hidden."

UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's is renaming its 'Chicken Kiev' products 'Chicken Kyiv,' to reflect Ukrainian spelling, and is also removing 'Russian Standard' vodka and Russian sunflower seeds from its shelves.

In a statement to UK media, Britain's second largest supermarket chain said that it stands "united with the people of Ukraine" and would donate £2 million ($2.64mn) to help those affected by the humanitarian crisis there. Sainsbury's didn't limit its support to donations, however, and also conducted a review of its product range.

"We have decided to remove from sale all products that are 100% sourced from Russia. This means that from [Friday] we will no longer sell two products - Russian Standard vodka and Karpayskiye black sunflower seeds. We are also re-naming 'Chicken Kiev' to 'Chicken Kyiv' and the new packaging will be available in the coming weeks." Russian: 'Kiev' to Ukrainian: 'Kyiv'

Another popular supermarket chain, Waitrose, told Metro.co.uk that it would not be renaming Chicken Kiev, which it also sells.

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US Senator Lindsey Graham has been driven crazy by the ongoing tensions between Moscow and the West, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov implied, following calls from the politician for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Not everyone can remain cool-headed these days, some [people] lose their senses," Peskov told a press conference, commenting on Graham's statements.

Peskov pointed to the "hysterical stirring-up" of anti-Russian sentiment in the US, calling it a "Russophobic meltdown" of sorts. Moscow has demanded an official explanation from the US over what it called de-facto advocating an act of terrorism.

Moscow maintains its military offensive in Ukraine is a "special operation" aimed at the "demilitarization" and "denazification" of the nation in the name of protecting the people of the two Donbass republics Russia has recently recognized.

Britain's prime minister does not support the idea of trying to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin, a spokesperson for Boris Johnson said on Friday. Asked by reporters whether he agrees with US Senator Lindsey Graham, the spokesperson firmly rejected the idea:

"No. We stand with the Ukrainian people in demanding the immediate end to the Russian invasion. We have said before that Putin must be held to account before an international court for the horrific acts he has committed."

The open call for the assassination of the Russian president provoked fury in Moscow, with Russia's Embassy in the US strongly condemning such statements, as well as demanding Washington to hold the official accountable for his remarks. Russia's Ambassador in the US Anatoly Antonov said:

"The degree of Russophobia and hatred towards Russia is going through the roof in the United States. It is unbelievable that a senator from a country that preaches its moral values as a 'guiding light' for all of mankind could allow himself call for terrorism as a means to achieve Washington's goals on the international stage."