The Boston Athletic Association has banned Russian and Belarusian marathon runners from this year’s Boston Marathon.
“Like so many around the world, we are horrified and outraged by what we have seen and learned from the reporting in Ukraine,” BAA president Tom Grilk stated in an April 6 press release. “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.”
According to the press release, Russian and Belarusian citizens not residing in either countries may still compete in the marathon, but they can not run under the flags of their countries. In addition, the BAA stated it would “make reasonable attempts to refund the athletes of Russia and Belarus.”
The decision came a week after the Russian invasion of Bucha, Ukraine, a small city outside the capital of Kyiv.
Evgenia Hutson, a Russian-born runner currently residing in Chicago, said she qualified last fall to run for the 2022 marathon and described the ban as “a tough pill to swallow.”
“One of the reasons why I’m a runner and why I became a runner is because the running community is so strong and so inclusive,” she said. “This unfortunately has created an unnecessary divide.”
Hutson said while she supports Ukraine, Russian runners — no matter if they are immigrants or visitors — should not have been banned from competition.
“On the other hand, there’s so many other things that we’re banning now in terms of Russian culture and Russian influence in the States,” Huston said. “I just think it plays into Putin’s agenda of promoting how Russia is being canceled by the West.”
Sara Manderscheid — an endurance running coach and founder of Elevate Your Running who ran the marathon last October — said she thinks the ban was justified, and the marathon organizers had to establish what “Americans stand for.”
“We obviously are not okay with what’s going on over there,” Manderscheid said. “So doing whatever we can do to support Ukraine and help those individuals is important.”
Boston resident and marathon volunteer George Tang said the ban was not justified.
Tang added that while banning Russia as a country from athletic events makes sense, organizers should have taken more careful consideration of Russian individual’s beliefs.
“I think there’s still a need for thoughtful distinction between who actually is committing, and are these actions actually helping to mitigate the harm caused by the war, helping with sending a signal to Russia that we as an international community are not condoning these actions that you’re taking,” Tang said.
Marilynn Johnson — a professor of history at Boston College — said criticizing Russians who do not condemn Putin and the war is “just a bad idea.”
“I think one of the dangers of this is that once you start, banning Russian athletes and Russian individuals, targeting them as individuals, then you’re laying the groundwork for an uglier xenophobic reaction towards, say, Russian immigrants in this country,” Johnson said.
Johnson added attacking Russian and Belarusian individuals is “counterproductive” to sway individuals’ thoughts on the conflict and their country.
“I just really hope that the other world’s major marathons see past this and really focus on the running community and the inclusivity that it brings, and unite people instead of dividing them,” Hutson said.
