Prohibition on Russian Athletes to Participate in International Competitions and Its Impact on Sports Performance

The article presents a description and analysis of the results of research conducted in March 2024 on the motivation of "elite" level athletes (members of Russian national teams of different age groups) to engage in further training activities in the context of de facto prohibitions on participation of Russian (and Belarusian) athletes in international competitions in Olympic sports introduced by international federations in March 2022 in accordance with the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee. The author's objective is to ascertain the impact of the aforementioned prohibitions on the athletes' motivation to pursue a career in sports and the sport results they have achieved. The findings of this research challenge the assertions of some experts who claim that the prohibition on Russian athletes participating in international competitions has negatively affected the performance and motivation of young athletes. Furthermore, the objective data on the sporting achievements of athletes has corroborated the hypothesis that younger athletes are driven by an additional desire to enhance their performance in light of the prohibition to participate in international competitions.