NIKE will fully shut down operations in Russia, joining other international companies that have withdrawn from the country after its brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Nike Inc. suspended operations three months ago at all of its company-owned and operated stores in Russia but like other major corporations, has attempted to avoid exposing employees to hardship during a complete withdrawal.
The Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported last month that Nike had ended its relationship with Inventive Retail Group, its largest franchisee in the country.
“Our priority is to ensure we are fully supporting our employees while we responsibly scale down our operations over the coming months,” the sports apparel maker said Thursday.
McDonald’s and Starbucks, after suspending operations, also fully withdrew from Russia in recent weeks.
Three Russian officials won a court ruling Thursday to overturn being barred from this weekend’s International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) elections.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld appeals by Maxim Agapitov, who is an IWF board member, Dmitry Chernogorov and Aleksandr Kishkin. All three were excluded last month from the elections by a panel vetting potential candidates.
The IWF-appointed panel did not have authority to make what were effectively disciplinary decisions against the Russians, CAS said in a statement.
Although Russian teams and athletes have been banned from many international competitions because of the country’s part in the war in Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee and most Olympic sports have not suspended their members from Russia.
The CAS verdict should clear the three men to stand for various IWF positions, including president, at the two-day election meeting in the Albanian capital of Tirana.
The elections are the IWF’s first since an investigation broadcast in January 2020 by German channel ARD accused the body of widespread corruption.
Long-time IWF president Tamás Aján, a former IOC member, was ousted weeks later after being implicated in financial misconduct and tampering with the sport’s anti-doping program.
Aján was banned from sports for life last week by a separate CAS panel.
The elections this weekend are key for the IWF to rebuild trust at the IOC.
Weightlifting has been left off the sports program for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with the IOC due to make a final decision next year. AP
Image credits: AP