Champions of terror

Russia uses sport as a tool of propaganda and to circumvent sanctions
Total number:
159
Individuals
Updated: 19.06.2025
The participation of russian athletes in international competitions is a means of whitewashing russia`s reputation (sportwashing), spreading disinformation, justifying and legitimizing aggression against Ukraine among foreign audiences and demonstrating russia`s continued presence in the civilized world
Russian officials in international sports committees and federations remain a russian lobby and an element of strategic influence outside russia, providing ways to establish international relations and cooperation bypassing sanctions
What needs to be done:
  • suspend russian athletes from international competitions
  • exclude russian sports officials from international organizations
Sport should symbolize peace again
 
 
Total: 10
YEGORYAN Yana Karapetovna
YEGORYAN Yana Karapetovna
Russian fencer, saber fencer, Two-time russian champion, Two-time world champion, Two-time Olympic champion, Military World Games champion, Honored master of sports of russia, Vice-President of the Moscow region Fencing Federation
Participant of the 2024 BRICS Sports Games in Kazan (russia).
Participant in the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan (China) as a member of the russian Armed Forces national team.
He holds the rank of lieutenant of the russian Armed Forces and represents the Central Sports Club of the russian Army (CSKA), which is subordinated to the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation.
CSKA provides active assistance to the military and veterans of the so-called "SMO" by purchasing and delivering special equipment, FPV drones, generators and humanitarian supplies to the frontline, conducts military-patriotic education of children and youth, organizes and conducts sports and patriotic events and promotes international cooperation, in particular within the framework of the Military World Games project.
Thus, CSKA athletes at international competitions actually represent the armed forces of the aggressor state.
She is an ambassador of the All-russian public movement to promote patriotic and sports education of citizens "Healthy Fatherland", which operates, among other things, in the TOT of Ukraine.
In October 2024 she appeared in a propaganda video by the "Healthy Fatherland" movement for putin's birthday.
In January 2018, she was putin's proxy in the presidential election.
In 2023, she campaigned on her social media to vote for a member of the pro-government United russia political party, Andrei Vorobyov, in the Moscow region gubernatorial elections.
Since 2024, she has been an ambassador for the World Friendship Games, a sporting event launched as a russian alternative to the Olympic Games in response to restrictions on russian athletes' participation in the Paris Olympics.
The aim of the project is to demonstrate to the world russia's capabilities in holding sporting events at the highest level and to develop new formats of sports cooperation. The project of the World Friendship Games was presented at the largest forums "russia - CEF", "PMEF", "russia - Africa", "russia - Sports Power", and issues were separately resolved with the ministers of South Africa, China, Brazil and North Korea regarding the participation of athletes from the respective countries in the competitions. It is noted that the invitations are based both on interaction with federations in different countries and on a personal basis. Invitations to participate were sent to some sports federations in Ukraine, with a cynical promise to "ensure their safety".
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BUROV Ilya Alekseevich
BUROV Ilya Alekseevich
Russian freestyle skier, Russian champion, Honored master of sports, Master of sports of russia international class, CSKA instructor
Participant of the XXIV Winter Olympics in 2022 in Beijing (China).
Participant of the International freestyle competition in the discipline of acrobatics "Champions Cup" in 2023 in Yaroslavl (russia).
He is a member of the russian Olympic freestyle team.
He holds the rank of private in the sports company of the Central Sports Club of the russian Army (CSKA) in Sevastopol. Sevastopol, subordinated to the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation.
CSKA regularly provides active assistance to the military and veterans of the so-called "SMO" by purchasing and delivering special equipment, FPV drones, generators and humanitarian supplies to the frontline, conducts military-patriotic education of children and youth, organizes and conducts sports and patriotic events and promotes international cooperation, in particular within the framework of the World War Games project.
Thus, CSKA athletes at international competitions actually represent the armed forces of the aggressor state.
Burov uses pro-russian pseudo-patriotic symbols and expresses public support for putin and the war against Ukraine. In particular, in May 2022, a photo of Burov with a St. George's ribbon was published online. In addition, Burov declared the support of the russian leadership for "the fight against weapons and Nazism" and called for "protecting the russian-speaking population, the citizens of their country."
In 2022, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, first class, for "high sports achievements, will to win, resilience and determination shown at the XXIIV Olympic Winter Games in 2022 in Beijing (China)."
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