Alpine Canada working to get athletes out of Russia as world cup ski events cancelled

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Canada’s national sporting body for alpine skiing is working to get athletes out of Russia after that country began military attacks on Ukraine.

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Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA) confirmed Friday they are working with the federal government to secure flights out of the region ‘as soon as possible’, said spokesperson Kyklie Robertson.

“We are working directly with the ministers of Global Affairs and Sport who are aware and providing support as needed,” said Robertson.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) announced Friday morning that it would be cancelling or moving all remaining World Cup events previously scheduled to take place in Russia after President Vladimir Putin moved troops into Ukraine and began firing missiles and artillery into the country after weeks of posturing along the Russia-Ukraine border. Ukrainian officials said Thursday that dozens of people had been killed and more than 100 others were injured.

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“After close consultation with its stakeholders, FIS has decided that in the interest of the safety of all participants and to maintain the integrity of the World Cup, that all remaining World Cup events scheduled to take place in Russia between now and the end of the 2021-22 season will be cancelled or moved to another location,” read a statement posted to the FIS website.

Those events included World Cup ski cross and aerial competitions that were scheduled for this weekend. FIS said participants were already on site and the sporting organization is working with stakeholders to get the athletes home.

Robertson did not confirm what or how many Canadian athletes were in the region but the ACA website lists a number of Albertans on the national skicross team, including athletes from Calgary, Banff, Canmore and Edmonton.

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Calgary-based Church group Samaritan Purse announced Friday that emergency assistance teams would be deployed to countries around Ukraine to provide emergency relief as needed.

“Samaritan’s Purse has been closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine for weeks,” said president Franklin Graham. “We have deployed members of our Disaster Assistance Response Team to surrounding countries and are standing ready to help meet emergency needs resulting from the crisis. Please join me in praying for the people of Ukraine and for this conflict to end quickly.”

Samaritan’s Purse has prepared an emergency field hospital to be shipped overseas as needed.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has dedicated a million dollars to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, organized by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Canada Ukraine Foundation. The funds are meant to assist with humanitarian aid in the eastern European country.

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“Our government will always stand by Ukrainians and their elected government. I have been clear that we support Ukraine’s sovereignty and its right to defend its borders – and its people – against adversaries. Our hope is that there is a de-escalation of the situation, but in the meantime our government is proud to provide support to the humanitarian aid effort,” said Premier Jason Kenney in a news release.

Shortly after the attacks began Wednesday, Kenney called for a global embargo on Russian oil and gas exports.

Speaking to media Friday, Kenney said there was little his government could do to economically impact Russia outside of producing and exporting more Alberta energy, saying Europe and parts of Asia have become reliant on Russian oil and gas. He called on the federal government to use the strongest sanctions possible against Russian exports.

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“I’m not aware of any particular ties (between Russia and Alberta). We have very small, negligible trade with the Russian Federation,” said Kenney.

Several other provinces, including Ontario, announced Friday that they would begin pulling Russian liquor off of crown liquor stores. Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) said it was considering all possible options and will provide further updates as soon as possible.

The Alberta legislature flew a Ukrainian flag inside the chamber during the legislative assembly’s Thursday sitting. Speaker Nathan Cooper invited all MLAs in the chamber to take part in a photo to show support for Ukraine.

The City of Calgary also issued a statement of support for Ukraine on Thursday, A Ukrainian flag was raised outside the Municipal Building Thursday to show solidarity with the local Ukrainian community.

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“The City of Calgary has raised the flag of Ukraine at the Municipal Building to show support for a sovereign nation under a horrifying and unprovoked attack. We stand in support of the Ukrainian community in our city and the people who have close ties to their homeland,” read a statement issued Thursday.

Several members of the Ukrainian-Calgary community told Postmedia they are worried for their relatives still in Ukraine and called for action from the federal government.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that his government would impose further sanctions against Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, and Putin’s chief of staff. The announcement was part of a third set of sanctions imposed against Russian officials since the start of the Ukrainian invasion.

— With files from Brittany Gervais and the Canadian Press

dshort@postmedia.com