Czechia Pulls Youth American Football Teams from European Championship Over Russia's Inclusion

The Czech American Football Association (ČAAF) has refused to send its youth national teams to the European Championship, set to take place in Italy this September. The reason: Russian teams have been admitted to the tournament, and Czechia has taken a firm stance against facing Russian athletes on the field.

The decision affects two age categories: the under-17 team, which won bronze at last year's continental championship, and the mixed under-15 squad.

How It Came to Light

According to ČAAF chairman Radim Kroulík, the Czech side discovered Russia's inclusion in the tournament bracket purely by chance, after the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) published an internal list of participants. "We were surprised to find that Russian teams were entered in these categories. IFAF never announced Russia's return to competition — not at the December congress, nor in any other form afterward," Kroulík said.

Together with representatives from Finland, Czechia sent IFAF a formal request for an explanation. The federation responded that it was acting in line with recommendations from the International Olympic Committee, which had authorized the participation of Russian athletes.

The Czech Association's Stance

ČAAF's leadership rejected that reasoning. "In the current situation, it's simply not possible for our teams to face Russia on the field — let alone the absurdity of matches between Ukraine and Russia. This view is shared by the vast majority of our clubs, which recommended we not attend the tournament under these conditions," Kroulík wrote.

He also reached out to the head of the Ukrainian American Football Association, who proposed a compromise: allow the Russian team to compete only under a neutral flag, without the country's name, national anthem, or any athletes who had publicly supported the military aggression against Ukraine. IFAF rejected the proposal, and as a result, Czechia will simply not field teams in the disputed categories.

"Ashamed of My Colleagues"

"I'm ashamed that our sport has ended up in this situation, and ashamed of how quickly my colleagues from other countries turned their backs on Ukraine. If supporting a country under attack amounts to nothing more than changing your Facebook profile picture right after the conflict began, that's simply not enough," the Czech association's chairman said.

Kroulík admitted the decision will hit the athletes themselves hard. "I feel for our players, who are losing a unique chance to represent their country. I understand if they direct their disappointment at me, at the board, or at the association as a whole," the statement reads. The association is preparing an alternative program for the excluded teams.

"I wish politics stayed out of sport. But that's a romantic notion, detached from reality. Sport isn't immune to negative developments either. Still, it teaches us to keep fighting even in what seems like a hopeless situation, and I believe preserving one's moral integrity matters more than any sporting result," Kroulík added.

Source: sport.cz