Was Daniil Medvedev 'forced' to drop Russian flag from social media to avoid being banned?

World No. 1 ranked tennis player Daniil Medvedev has removed the Russian flag from his official Instagram handle amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Since it was revealed that Medvedev had removed his country's flag from his social media accounts, rumours have circulated that the 2021 US Open winner was forced to do so by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Was Medvedev forced to remove the Russian flag?

Medvedev was ordered by the ITF to remove his country's flag from all social media accounts, according to the Russian tennis federation. Karen Khachanov has also removed the Russian flag from his official social media pages. According to RIA Novosti, a state-owned Russian news agency, Medvedev and Khachanov were "forced" to remove their national flags under threat of being barred from future tournaments.

"I haven’t talked to Daniil yet. But now there are such sanctions, the IOC prohibits the use of our Russian flag. Even on social media. This is a necessary measure," Russian Tennis Federation President Shamil Tarpischev was quoted as saying last week.

The ITF suspended the Russian and Belarusian tennis federations earlier last week, as well as announced that players from both nations will have to compete under a neutral flag in ATP and WTA events. The ITF also cancelled an event set to take place in Moscow in October of this year. The decision came after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) encouraged all athletic bodies to prohibit Russian and Belarussian athletes from competing in any international event while wearing their national flags.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak sparked uproar after he wore a war insignia 'Z' on his chest while participating in the parallel bars World Cup event in Doha. Kuliak wore the emblem while sharing the podium with his Ukrainian competitor Illia Kovtun. The same emblem was also spotted on Russian tanks and other military assets in Ukraine. The letter 'Z' was taped to Kuliak's shirt, which represents victory in Russia. Kuliak pasted the letter 'Z' in the place of the Russian flag. 

The Russian sporting fraternity has come under the fire ever since Russia launched a military attack on Ukraine. Several sporting events that were supposed to be held in Russia have either been called off or moved out of the country. The UEFA and FIFA have already banned the Russian national team from taking part in any competition across the world, including the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. Meanwhile, Formula One has cancelled the Russian Grand Prix in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Image: AP