Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek has written an open letter to the “owners, management and members of the NHL, WTA, ATP, and other professional sports leagues, federations, and organizations across the globe,” in which he asks for Russian athletes to be barred from competition during active wartimes.
The 57-year-old retired NHL star and lifelong tennis fan suggested in the 1,300-word letter that by allowing Russian athletes to continue participating, it allows the Russian government “to advertise its aggressive policy” in and against Ukraine.
The six-time Vezina and two-time Hart Trophy winner explained his intention behind the letter “is primarily about saving lives in Ukraine and what sport in a democratic world must do for that.”
The Pardubice, Czech Republic, native claims he has “not read or heard anywhere from [the organizations mentioned above] of an unequivocal condemnation of Russian aggression.”
However, the NHL released the following statement in late February: “The National Hockey League condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible. Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia and we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL. We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position.”
Meanwhile, the international governing bodies of tennis released a joint statement on March 1 condemning Russia’s actions. The Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation each had their memberships suspended indefinitely and the teams were withdrawn from all international team competitions.
In April, the WTA and ATP released another joint statement openly disagreeing with Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association’s decision to ban Russian competitors, while also doubling down on condemning the ongoing war.
Various governing bodies from around the sports world did ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competition after the war began in late February and many of those sanctions remain in place. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), for example, is one of those governing bodies.
Hasek, an Olympic gold medallist from the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, appears to be taking a similar hardline stance on Russian athletes as Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the current president of Ukraine. Zelenskyy recently expressed disappointment that the IOC is considering allowing Russian athletes to compete under a neutral flag at future Olympic Games.
The IOC confirmed in a statement on Dec. 15 the committee’s president Thomas Bach spoke on the phone with Zelenskyy. According to the statement, Zelenskyy “requested the full isolation of Russia and Russians from the world community. From his point of view, this must also apply to athletes.”
Hasek said it is “inexcusable” to “tolerate the participation of Russian athletes in your competitions,” before continuing to chastise the sports leagues and adding, “You are, therefore, fully responsible for the irreversible damage caused by the Russian army in Ukraine, including wasted lives.”
Hasek went on to argue “Russian athletes who, like all of us adults, are responsible for the actions of their country,” yet he did not suggest those leagues ban athletes from the United States or any other nation that has committed war crimes.
The former Blackhawks, Sabres, Red Wings and Senators netminder played his final year of professional hockey with the KHL’s Moscow Spartak in Russia during the 2010-11 season.
In a post-script, Hasek wrote: “This letter is addressed to the NHL, WTA and ATP, but I would appreciate if all the leagues and competitions in the world, especially the International Olympic Committee, read and consider it.”
