What I think should be done about Russia

Maybe this is just my opinion, but Russian sports need long-lasting consequences. Several things need to be put in place to let Russia know that launching an unprovoked peacetime invasion of a neighboring country is never okay. 

Some of these might seem more severe than others, but if that's what it takes to get them to understand that some actions have more consequences then others, then so be it.

1. Revoke their UEFA membership. 

For some people, this might be a step too far, which I understand. But maybe taking them out of UEFA for an undetermined length of time- and thereby meaning that they can't compete in European soccer for that length of time- will maybe tell them that if they deploy their military unprovoked and invade a neighboring country during peacetime, they won't be able to compete in international sporting competitions. Peace, after all, is one of the big parts of international sport.

Short-term, it means they would miss out on the League of Nations and potentially the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

2. Remove their U21 team from Euros qualifying.  

Some people might say that this is too harsh. Some people might say that their U21 team is already suspended. Some people might say that a suspension is enough, given that they're not the senior-level team. As to the first point, a suspension, to me, is like saying "you can play later, just not now", which isn't the message I want to send. The message I want to send is "you can't play". And as to the second point, I will rebut by saying that the U21 Euros next year are the European qualifiers for Paris 2024 men's soccer- meaning that if a team doesn't make it to the final tournament, they don't advance to the Olympic soccer tournament. So, by cause and effect, we remove Russia from U21 Euros qualifying and their chances of qualifying men's soccer for Paris 2024 go bye-bye.  

3. Remove them from this year's EuroBasket field.

Incredibly, Russia are not only still listed as taking part in the EuroBasket tournament in September but are listed in Group A. Why they haven't yet been removed is a mystery. Removing them from this years' field will, again, tell them "no one wants to play with you because of what you did".

Or, to put it another way, would you want Russia competing in a continent-wide tournament a little over half a year after they invaded Ukraine completely unprovoked?

*Here's another idea- if FIBA, hypothetically, left Russia in the field, just have them say that all of Russia's games will take place (a) behind closed doors, (b) with no live video or television feed, and (c) with no live stats. 

4. Move the short-course swimming world championships to another country.

Rather than in Russia in December, I have other suggestions.

Lots of them.

Sydney. London. Atlanta. Paris. Lisbon. Madrid. Barcelona. Seoul. Rome. Tokyo. Bordeaux. Nice. Marseille. Monaco. Amsterdam. Berlin. Copenhagen. Oslo. Stockholm. Montreal. Toronto. Ottawa. Winnipeg. Nassau. Auckland. Wellington. Manchester. Cardiff. Glasgow. 

Basically anywhere.

But not Russia.