This year the case of Brittney Griner, the American basketball player who is detained in Russia, is another example of how over the years, sports and their athletes not only cannot often separate themselves from political ties, but can also become victims of power.

The WNBA star was sentenced to nine years in prison for carrying cannabis oil when entering Moscow. It has been speculated that her arrest is a strategy by Russia to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the United States. A year ago, in the midst of the Tokyo Olympics, which also saw 29 athletes march under the refugee flag, the story of Belarusian Krystsina Tsimanouskaya was revealed.

After complaining about the negligence of the athletics coaches and how they handled certain procedures in the Belarusian Federation, she was escorted by officials who wanted to force her to take a flight back to her country without being able to participate in the Olympic event. At 24 years old, she sought help from the Olympic Committee since, after the media campaign against her, she could not return to her nation. Finally, the Polish Embassy granted her asylum.

The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, strongly criticized her statement and was already banned by the IOC for not allowing his athletes to express their opinions. But beyond the fact that the Olympics are where the tensions of international politics are most reflected, there are other cases outside of that context.

Vahid Afkari has been in solitary confinement for more than 700 days in #Iran.

Despite threats to his life, he has always supported his brother Navid Afkari, a champion wrestler wrongly executed in 2020 on false charges. pic.twitter.com/IZ0GZfwGWf

In 2020, the 27-year-old Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari was sentenced to death.

Despite a global campaign to save him, the government decided to execute the Greco-Roman wrestling athlete accused of murdering a security guard during a wave of protests against the government, where many were detained. An audio was leaked at the time where Afkarafi told that he had been tortured and forced to confess to the crime.

Lastly, we cannot forget the recent case of Novak Djokovic, who, for deciding not to get vaccinated, got involved in a political conflict with the Australian government after entering the country to participate in the Grand Slam.