Polish club withdrew from the volleyball tournament in the UAE due to the participation of teams from Russia.

The Polish volleyball club 'Suwałki' refused to participate in the international NAS Sports Tournament in Dubai due to the participation of Russian teams.

The commercial tournament in the UAE will take place from March 12 to 20. Russian clubs 'Dynamo' and 'Nova' are registered there.

'The decisive factor that influenced the refusal to participate was the information about the participation in the tournament of two clubs representing the Russian Federation. After consultations with partners, the Polish Volleyball Association, and the Polish volleyball league, we supported the position that involves not competing with Russian teams,' it is stated on the official website of the 'Suwałki' club.

It is worth noting that titled Russian figure skaters Ivan Bukin and Alexandra Stepanova, who want to obtain neutral status and participate in the Olympics, turned out to be supporters of the sanctioned pro-Kremlin singer Shaman (Yaroslav Dronov).

It is noted that Ivan Bukin is subscribed to Shaman's page on Instagram. Alexandra Stepanova liked and commented on one of Shaman's posts on Instagram.

It is worth noting that for supporting Russian aggression, Shaman has been included in the sanctions lists of Ukraine, Canada, and the EU.

Bukin and Stepanova are two-Time European vice-champions (2019, 2022), three-time bronze medalists of European championships (2015, 2018, 2020), world junior champions (2013), and winners of the junior Grand Prix final (2012). Four-time champions of Russia (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), four-time vice-champions of Russia (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), and two-time bronze medalists of Russian championships (2015, 2016).

As reported, the IOC called for the inclusion of Russian athletes in the qualification for the 2026 Olympics.

According to sources from SVT, the International Olympic Committee clearly outlined its contacts with both the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the International Ski Federation (FIS).

'They do not say: 'Do this, and otherwise you will not receive funding from us.' But they clearly state that they want to find a solution that will allow neutral athletes to participate in the Winter Olympic Games. They really want to achieve this and hope that we will allow neutral athletes to qualify for the next season,' SVT quotes a source in the IBU.

The 2026 Olympic Games will take place from February 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy).