Dr. Ann Pegoraro, the Lang Chair In Sport Management in the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, spoke to several media outlets about the decision by several sports federations to ban Russian teams and athletes from competition. 

Speaking to The Hockey News, Pegoraro said the ban from the International Ice Hockey Federation will have a large, long-term effect on Russian hockey. It will mean an end of funding, an inability for NHL clubs to scout Russian players, and eventually, a decrease in the visibility of Russian players.   

In an interview with Yahoo! Canada Sports, Pegoraro noted sports are used as “an image-building tool” to showcase national pride, especially in sports, like hockey, where Russians are often dominant. 

“Images of Russian athletes creating moments of nationalistic pride through sporting success will not be seen for some time to come,” she told the outlet. 

 Pegoraro is the director of the International Institute for Sport Business and Leadership. 

She researches gender equity, sport consumers, marketing and communication and is also the co-director of the National Network for Research on Gender Equity in Canadian Sport.