Boston marathon bans runners from Russia
The Boston Marathon has declared a ban on runners living in Russia and Belarus who were due to compete, less than two weeks before the event is set to be held.
“The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) announced today that Russians and Belarusians, who were accepted into the 2022 Boston Marathon or 2022 BAA 5K as part of the open registration process and are currently residing in either country, will no longer be allowed to compete in either event,” said organizers in a statement.
It added that Russian and Belarusian citizens who are not currently residents of either country would be allowed to run, but that the flags of both nations would be prohibited.
“We believe that running is a global sport, and as such, we must do what we can to show our support to the people of Ukraine,” said BAA President & CEO Tom Grilk, condemning Russian actions in Ukraine.
Organizers said they would do their best to refund the athletes from Russia or Belarus who will no longer be able to participate but could be constricted by international sanctions.
According to a BAA spokesperson, via CNN, the ban will affect 63 athletes who had signed up for either the marathon or 5km race.
This year’s edition of the Boston Marathon is set for April 18 and will be the 126th running of the event. It will feature around 30,000 participants.
The event is among the most famous on the marathon calendar but was hit by tragedy in 2013 when Chechen Kyrgyzstani-American terrorists Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev set off two homemade bombs near the finish line, killing three people and injuring dozens of others.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a manhunt which involved the death of an officer while another officer passed away a year later due to wounds sustained while confronting the brothers.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had a death sentence reimposed by the US Supreme Court last month.
