Swiss Ice Hockey, along with other members of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), has called for sanctions on Russia and Belarus due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

After weeks of rising political tensions, Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday, with the conflict having escalated further over the weekend.

Russia's actions have been widely condemned and sporting, as well as political and financial, punishments have been handed out as a consequence.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) called on all international sporting federations to relocate or cancel any events set to take place in Russia or Belarus.

St Petersburg was stripped of the right to host the 2021-22 Champions League final by UEFA, while Formula One removed the Russian Grand Prix from its calendar this year.

Numerous high-profile sportspeople have expressed their opposition to the conflict, with Russia's Andrey Rublev writing "no war please" on a camera lens at the Dubai Tennis Championship and compatriot Daniil Medvedev calling for peace.

Vladimir Putin's status as honorary president and ambassador of the International Judo Federation (IJF) has also been suspended, and now The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation has demanded further action within their sport.

"The attack is in complete contradiction to the values of the Olympic movement, which is committed to peace, understanding and solidarity between countries and peoples," a statement from Swiss Ice Hockey read. 

"With its actions, Russia is breaking the Olympic truce, which was adopted as a resolution by the UN General Assembly on December 2, 2021 by 173 member countries.

"Swiss Ice Hockey strongly condemns Russia's actions. Swiss Ice Hockey's thoughts are with the Ukrainian ice hockey family and everyone in Ukraine in this difficult situation. 

"Together with other member associations, Swiss Ice Hockey has submitted an application to the IIHF, in which immediate and far-reaching consequences and sanctions against Russia and Belarus – which supports the Russian government in their actions – are required. 

"The application to the IIHF Council calls for, among other things, the immediate exclusion of the Russian and Belarusian ice hockey federations as members of the IIHF and the withdrawal of the U20 World Championship in December 2022 in Novosibirsk and the A World Championship in May 2023 in St. Petersburg.

"Swiss Ice Hockey has also decided that the senior men's national team will not travel to Russia and play a friendly against Russia as part of the World Cup preparations next spring – contrary to the original plan."

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) took silver in the men's ice hockey tournament at this year's Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Declan Rice has outlined his and West Ham's support of team-mate Andriy Yarmolenko, who has been given compassionate leave by the club.

West Ham announced on Friday that Yarmolenko had been granted time off by manager David Moyes after Russia invaded Ukraine, his homeland.

The forward, who grew up in Chernihiv and played club football in Kyiv, is a 106-cap Ukraine international.

Speaking after a 1-0 Premier League win over Wolves, Rice highlighted how tough recent days had been for Yarmolenko and pledged the team's support for the people of Ukraine.

"It's so, so important for me, for the team, for everyone at the club to support [Yarmolenko]," Rice told Sky Sports.

"The day it all started, we saw him at the training ground and he was in bits, and so were all the lads for him.

"We're all there for him, we're all there for the people of Ukraine. It's horrible what's happening, but we're all there with Yarma and the little tap on the shirt [bearing Yarmolenko's name] to start the game obviously brought some good luck.

"Tomas [Soucek] has spoken to him a little bit more, but we've all sent him a little message and he sent us a message in the group chat before the game saying 'good luck boys', so I'm sure that brought good luck for us today."

Hammers boss Moyes had earlier stated Yarmolenko was "not in a really good position at the moment".

London Stadium was lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag prior to Sunday's match, accompanied by a message which pledged "love and prayers to Andriy Yarmolenko and the people of Ukraine".

Meanwhile, the West Ham players warmed up in t-shirts bearing Yarmolenko's name, while visitors Wolves wore pre-match shirts displaying the message "no to war".

Ireland coach Andy Farrell paid tribute to a "brave" Italy performance in defeat, as his side downed the 13-man Azzurri in a 57-6 rout in the Six Nations.

Two tries apiece for Michael Lowry and James Lowe helped the hosts to a crushing bonus-point victory at Aviva Stadium in Dublin to get their championship hopes firmly back on track.

But they had a numerical advantage for the majority of the game after Hame Faiva was shown a contentious red card for shoulder-to-chin contact on Dan Sheehan midway through the first half, with the World Rugby requirement for hooker-less Italy to be a man down in an uncontested scrum in such circumstances reducing them to 13 men.

A late yellow card for Braam Steyn further compounded issues for Kieran Crowley's side, who finished with 12 players.

Amid such difficulties, Farrell felt the visitors showed superb spirit throughout while his own side fell short of his expectations despite the scoreline.

"It was a strange old game," he told ITV. "I thought we were sloppy at times and with the scoreboard at 57-6, you'd think we'd be happy with that. I suppose we got the points we needed in the end.

"I thought Italy were unbelievably brave, they started the game well and were difficult to play against with 15 men. But, having said that, when they went down to 13, I thought they were so brave."

Italy captain Michele Lamaro refused to criticise the ruling by referee Nika Amashukeli and also focused on his side's commitment.

"It's not from my point of view, it's just the rules," he added. "Our hooker got injured before the red card and then the red card came to our other hooker, so we hadn't any other hookers who can play.

"We couldn't play contested scrums, so we had to take someone off to play uncontested scrums. It was really punishing us, but obviously it's the rule.

"I couldn't ask anything more of the boys, so we showed something, but it's difficult to be happy with such a result."

Ireland cruised to a bonus-point 57-6 win over Italy in the Six Nations after a contentious red card left the Azzurri with 13 men.

Italy were always expected to slump to a heavy defeat in Dublin, having done so against both France and England, and their hopes of an upset were essentially ended in the 19th minute when Hame Faiva, on as a replacement hooker for Gianmarco Lucchesi, was sent off.

Faiva was deemed to have made dangerous shoulder-to-chin contact in a tackle on Dan Sheehan, his subsequent dismissal and the World Rugby requirement for hooker-less Italy to be a man down in an uncontested scrum in such circumstances reducing them to 13 men.

From that point, the game was over as a contest, Ireland running in nine tries to make it two wins from three and keep their hopes of Six Nations glory firmly intact as they leapfrogged England into second behind unbeaten France.

Joey Carbery crawled over the line to open the scoring after an Ireland break in the third minute.

Italy answered through Edoardo Padovani's long-range penalty, but the game was settled for all intents and purposes when the officials decided to dismiss Faiva after a long discussion with the TMO despite a seemingly innocuous tackle appearing to have done no damage to Sheehan.

It prompted another prolonged discussion at the scrum as referee Nika Amashukeli explained Italy's secondary punishment, which was soon followed by Jamison Gibson-Park going over for Ireland's second try.

A predictable Ireland overlap saw Michael Lowry cross, the bonus-point try then coming from Peter O'Mahony before Padovani gave Italy some cheer with another penalty before the break.

The rout continued thereafter, though, James Lowe strolling over out wide before Lowry added his second and Ryan Baird charged down an Italy kick to scoop up and dot down.

Italy were then reduced to 12 men as the game finished in farce with Braam Steyn shown a yellow card for batting the ball out of play. Lowe's easy second try took Ireland to the half-century mark and Kieran Treadwell had the final say against a shattered Italy defence.

Unwanted century comes in ruined spectacle

Italy's defeat marked their 100th in the Six Nations, but that unwanted milestone will be overshadowed by the officiating controversy in the first half.

In the circumstances of both the red card and reducing Italy to 13 men, Amashukeli was bound by the rules, but Italy being punished twice for a decision that was marginal at best was extremely harsh and ruined the game as a spectacle.

Ireland home comforts continue

Ireland have now lost just two of their past 23 home matches in the Six Nations, and few have come easier than this victory against an outnumbered Italy side.

What's next?

Italy host Scotland in Rome on March 12, when Ireland face a pivotal blockbuster clash with England at Twickenham.

Shreyas Iyer struck an unbeaten 73 to guide India to a six-wicket victory and T20I series whitewash over Sri Lanka.

Rohit Sharma's side had already secured the series heading into the clash in Dharamsala after dominant victories in the opening two outings.

India carried on their imperious form in the shortest format as they cantered to victory with 19 balls to spare, sealing their 12th straight T20I win – a feat achieved only by Afghanistan among full-member sides.

Sri Lanka struggled after opting to bat first as Avesh Khan (2-23) and Mohammed Siraj (1-22) picked up early wickets to limit the tourists to a meagre 18-3 in the powerplay.

A fightback from Dinesh Chandimal (22) and Dasun Shanaka (74 not out), who captained his country for the 25th time in T20Is, propelled Sri Lanka to 146-5, with the tourists striking 56 off the last four overs.

India lost captain Sharma (five) to Dushmantha Chameera (1-19) in the second over of their response, but Iyer and Sanju Samson led the recovery before the latter fell for 18.

The hosts retain control from then on, as Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja (22 not out) secured the victory in the 17th over.

It marked India's 10th straight T20I victory over Sri Lanka at home – extending their longest such winning run against any country at home.

Impeccable Iyer

Iyer continued his domination of the Sri Lankan bowlers with another masterclass as he mustered 73 off just 45 deliveries, with his knock including nine fours and one six.

He finished the series as the top run-scorer (204), comfortably ahead of second-placed Shanaka (124), and was not dismissed in his three outings.

Shanaka's heroics in vain

Shanaka delivered for his side on a landmark appearance, striking 74 off 38 balls to take Sri Lanka from 29-4 to 146-5, but his efforts proved fruitless.

In T20Is, only Chandimal has captained Sri Lanka more than the all-rounder, who has won 11 of his 25 matches in charge (L13, T1), but Shanaka will be keen to overturn their poor run of form in Asia sooner rather than later, given they have lost six of their last seven T20I matches on the subcontinent.

Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara was withdrawn from the Reds' starting XI for the EFL Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium after suffering an injury in the warm-up.

Naby Keita replaced the Spain international, with Harvey Elliott taking Keita's place among the substitutes.

Thiago – who was seen to be crying on the bench – has been in excellent form for the Reds, including playing 68 minutes in the 6-0 demolition of Leeds United on Wednesday before being subbed for Jordan Henderson, presumably to ensure he was fit for Sunday's final.

It had earlier been confirmed that Diogo Jota had made the bench after missing Premier League wins over Norwich City and Leeds United following a knock picked up against Inter in the Champions League on February 16.

Romelu Lukaku was named on the bench for a second straight game by Thomas Tuchel, while Chelsea opted for Edouard Mendy ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.

Romelu Lukaku was named on the bench for a second straight game by Thomas Tuchel in Sunday's EFL Cup final, while Chelsea opted for Edouard Mendy ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga against Liverpool.

Lukaku's role in the Chelsea team has been the subject of some debate all season long and came to the fore again following his display in the 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on February 19. 

The Belgium striker managed just seven touches – the fewest of any player to complete 90 minutes in a single top-flight game since Opta has the data available (2003-04) – and was subsequently dropped to the bench for the win over Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Tuchel said that decision was made to keep Lukaku out of "the next fire", seemingly hinting at a return at Wembley, but Kai Havertz was again preferred when the Chelsea team was announced on Sunday.

Tuchel's other conundrum was whether to start Kepa, who has starred as Chelsea's cup goalkeeper. However, first-choice Mendy, as in the Club World Cup final, was preferred.

Hakim Ziyech did not make the matchday squad, but Mateo Kovacic was named in the XI. Both men had hobbled off against Lille.

Andreas Christensen's absence created space for Trevoh Chalobah to be brought in, while Reece James returned to the bench for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury on December 29 against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Jurgen Klopp made for two alterations to the Liverpool line-up that hammered Leeds United 6-0 on Wednesday, keeping faith with his cup keeper in Caoimhin Kelleher while Jordan Henderson returned.

Diogo Jota made the bench after missing Premier League wins over Norwich City and Leeds, following a knock picked up against Inter in the Champions League on February 16.

Kalvin Phillips has paid tribute to Marcelo Bielsa following Leeds United's decision to part company with their manager.

Leeds confirmed on Sunday that Bielsa had left the club in the wake of Saturday's 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham.

That loss came on the back of a 6-0 hammering at Liverpool, a 4-2 defeat to Manchester United and a 3-0 reverse at fellow strugglers Everton.

Indeed, Leeds have lost five of their last six Premier League games since beating West Ham in January and conceded 20 goals in the top flight across their five games in February – the most in a month by a top-flight side in England overall since Newcastle in April 1986 (21) – leaving them only two points above the relegation zone.

Phillips was a crucial figure for Leeds across Bielsa's first three seasons at the club, with his ability to anchor the midfield enabling the Whites to flood forward in attack as they gained promotion to the Premier League and secured a ninth-place finish in 2020-21.

Only four players made more appearances in all competitions under Bielsa than Phillips (131), who posted to Twitter: "Thank you Marcelo for everything you have done for me.

"You saw in me what I didn’t even see in myself. You helped me grow as a player but most importantly as a person.

"Wishing you all the best in your next chapter. Gracias Marcelo. Vamos Leeds Carajo!!"

Phillips' neat passing and ability to switch the play was another key facet for Bielsa, with the England international achieving over 80 per cent passing accuracy across his three full seasons under the Argentine, while also winning over 50 per cent of his duels in each of those campaigns.

However, his influence has been sorely missed this season, with the 26-year-old – who has been linked with a move away from his boyhood club – hampered by injury.

Phillips has featured just 15 times for Leeds this term and has not featured since December due to a thigh problem. He is due back next month, and is sure to be key to the Whites' survival hopes under a new coach.

Patrick Bamford has also endured an injury ravaged campaign, with the striker – who netted 17 league goals last season – making just six top-flight appearances.

"Thank you, the man who changed everything for everyone," Bamford posted to Instagram.

Raphinha, who has been Leeds' standout performer this season and has been linked with Liverpool and Bayern Munich, wrote "thank you very much Marcelo, for everything," on his official Instagram account.

It is not unusual for centre-backs to have high passing accuracy, especially in teams that prefer to play out from the back, but Aymeric Laporte's precision in Manchester City's win over Everton was perfect.

The Spain international completed all 110 of his attempted passes at Goodison Park, surpassing a record he set in December, as Premier League leaders City went on to claim a crucial 1-0 victory thanks to Phil Foden's late goal.

While Everton will lament their luck after a VAR call went against them, City controlled the game in the second half, after initially being pushed back by their hosts in the opening 45 minutes.

Indeed, City's expected goals (xG) of 0.18 in the first half was the lowest figure for them in the first period of any Premier League game this season. Their xG rose to 2.0 by full time.

However, the pressure City were under makes Laporte's composure on the ball even more impressive.

Of his 110 passes, 57 came in Everton's half, while his 124 touches was also a game-high, with the defender chipping in with a joint team-high three tackles to boot.

Most of his passes (37) went to defensive partner Ruben Dias, while he found Joao Cancelo on 20 occasions and Rodri on 14, with a combined 20 going into City's starting front three.

Laporte's 110 successful passes were the most by a player in a Premier League game without failing to find a team-mate at all since Opta began recording such data in 2003-04. The 27-year-old also held the previous record, having completed all 109 of his passes in the 6-3 win over Leicester City on Boxing Day, in which he also scored.

When stacked up against players in Europe's top five leagues, Laporte is the only one to have recorded 100 per cent passing accuracy when attempting over 100 passes on more than one occasion.

Napoli's Amir Rrahmani (114/115 against Cagliari) and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes (105/106 against Nantes) are the only other players to have registered at least 99 per cent passing accuracy when attempting over 100 passes.

Laporte has recorded over 95 per cent passing accuracy in 12 of his 22 league appearances this term.

All-Star Ja Morant scored a career-high 46 points as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Chicago Bulls at United Center, and later attributed his achievement in part to Bulls legend Michael Jordan.

Saturday's encounter saw the Grizzlies win 116-110 to move to 42-20, while the Bulls are 39-22.

Steven Adams also hit 12 points with a season-high 21 rebounds for Memphis, while DeMar DeRozan extended his 30-point streak to 10 games with a 31-point haul as the Bulls' six-game win streak came to an end.

After the game, Morant was asked if he had seen the highlights video played in the arena of Jordan's most memorable moments.

"I did watch it," he said. "And then, I did start scoring a lot. It probably played a part in it."

The 22-year-old made 15 of 28 field goal attempts, sank three shots from beyond the arc and made 13 out of 15 free throws.

His 46-point haul comes just 10 days after he racked up 44 against the Portland Trail Blazers, and makes it 16 games in a row in which he has scored at least 20 points.

"I've seen too many [incredible performances]. Kinda boring now," Grizzlies team-mate Adams said jokingly. "He's such an amazing player."

Morant also went on to praise the effort of his team, saying: "They gotta be recognised for the job they do for us on the floor. Obviously we had a lot of guys who contributed big for us tonight.

"[Desmond Bane] hit a big-time three, Kyle [Anderson] with the stops on the defensive end, Steve being the man inside the paint, Tyus [Jones] stepping up and hitting big free throws, and so on down the line.

"Obviously without them, we probably wouldn't have been in that position, so a lot of credit has to go to my team-mates."

Elina Svitolina has penned an emotive letter to her homeland of Ukraine, pledging to donate her prize money to military and humanitarian needs after Russia's invasion.

Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday. That conflict has escalated over the weekend.

Russia and Vladimir Putin's government faces heavy political and financial sanctions, while sports organisations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UEFA have also condemned the attack.

St Petersburg has been stripped of this season's Champions League final, while Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have refused to play Russia in qualifiers for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Formula One has pulled the Russian Grand Prix from its race calendar for 2022.

Several tennis players have spoken out against Russia's aggression, including Russian duo Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev, who will ascend to world number one in the ATP rankings on Monday.

On Saturday, Svitolina – the former WTA world number three – told Sky Sports News she was "shocked at this terrible nightmare".

Svitolina has family and friends back in Ukraine and, on Sunday, she posted an emotional message on her social media channels.

"Letter to my Motherland, I am currently far away from you, out of sight from my loved ones, far from my people, but my heart has never felt so warm and filled of your soul," Svitolina's message read.

"It is difficult to express how special you are. To me you are strong, beautiful and unique. You gave me everything and I cherish every piece of you: your culture, your education, your lands, your seas, your cities, your people. My people.

"My people, every day I fear for you. I am devastated, my eyes won't stop crying, my heart won't stop bleeding. But I am so proud. See our people, our mothers, our fathers, our brothers, our sisters, our children, they are so brave and strong, fighting to defend you. They are heroes.

"I commit to redistribute the prize money of my next tournaments to support army and humanitarian needs and help them to defend you, our country.

"Ukraine, you unify us, you are our identity. You are our past and our future. We are Ukraine."

Svitolina also called on other nations to continue to step up their efforts to stop the invasion.

"May the world see it and help us to join forces to protect you," she wrote. "You are in all my thoughts and prayers. You are always with me. I am Ukraine. We are Ukraine."

Rafael Nadal said he will not measure himself against other players' records until his career is over after adding another trophy to his impressive collection, beating Cameron Norrie in straight sets to lift the Mexican Open.

Nadal continued his undefeated start to 2022 with his third title for the year after beating the British sixth seed 6-4 6-4 in Acapulco on Saturday.

He is now on a run of 15-0 this season, claiming his 91st ATP Tour crown along the way.

It was also Nadal's fourth Mexican Open title, having previously won in 2005, 2013 and 2020.

His recent win at the Australian Open put him clear of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on 21 grand slam titles, but he still sits behind Ivan Lendl (94), Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109) for ATP tournament victories.

After his win in Mexico, Nadal said he is not concerned about records as long as he is still playing, saying: "At the end of the day, I've always said that this kind of record needs to be measured once your career is over.

"Today the most important thing is that I have won a prestigious tournament."

The 35-year-old's incredible form is all the more impressive considering he was forced to miss last year's US Open to deal with a foot issue that troubled him all the way to the lead-up to January's Australian Open.

"It was complicated, and I ended up taking the victory. Looking back, a few weeks ago this would have looked impossible," he added.

"It's amazing how things can change in such a short span, from not being able to practice and now to be where I am today."