Ex-Olympians Tessa Virtue, Hayley Wickenheiser among Canadians sanctioned by Russia

Former Olympians Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, Tessa Virtue, and Alex Bilodeau are among the 333 Canadians that have been sanctioned by Russia, the nation’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday.

The sanctions would prevent the Canadians from entering Russia and are an effort to (via Google Translate) “encourage those on the "black list" to change their behavior.”

The list primarily includes political officials from across Canada, namely members of provincial legislatures, but also includes a list of 42 retired athletes due to their involvement in a letter advocating for the exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the 2024 Olympic Games.

The letter, signed last month, urges the Canadian Olympic committee to reconsider its stance after the group expressed “openness” to the IOC’s effort to “explore a pathway” for the Russian and Belarusian teams to compete under a neutral flag at Paris 2024.

"Opening the door to 'neutral' Russian and Belarusian participation — and by doing so walking back the sanctions that have been in place since the start of the war — sends a message that the COC is no longer concerned with Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine," the letter says.

In an interview with the CBC upon the letter’s release, Jennifer Kish, a retired rugby player who has also been sanctioned, told the public broadcaster that there was no debate in her eyes as to what should be done.

"We're here to be heard and to make the COC listen to us," Kish said. "We want them to get the message that there is no middle ground here. You're either on one side or the other. And what part of history do you want to be on?"

Another co-signatory — and subsequently sanctioned — Olympian involved with the letter is former gold medalist Beckie Scott. She shared that discussions had been held with the COC to reverse their decision, but the two sides were unable to come to an agreement due to “vastly different” viewpoints, prompting the letter’s release.

The full list of impacted Canadian athletes is as follows:

1. Alexandre Bilodeau

2. Alex Harvey

3. Rebecca Scott

4. Brendan Green

5. Carol Huynh

6. Chandra Crawford

7. Christine Nesbitt

8. Clara Hughes

9. David Ford

10. Devon Kershaw

11. Drew Goldsack

12. Duff Gibson

13. Georgia Simmerling

14. Gilmore Junio

15. Hayley Wickenheiser

16. Helen Upperton

17. Jane Thornton

18. Jayna Hefford

19. Jennifer Hale (Jennifer Heil)

20. Jennifer Kish

21. Kaillie Humphries

22. Kelly Vanderbeek

23. Christina Nicole Groves

24. Laurence J. "Larry" Cain

25. Leah Marlee Pells

26. Megan Duhamel (Meagan Duhamel)

27. Melissa Bishop-Nriagu

28. Michael Barry

29. Michael Janyk

30. Milaine Theriault

31. Perdita Felicien

32. Roddy Ward

33. Rosanna Crawford

34. Sarah Renner

35. Sarah Wells

36. Stephanie Labbe

37. Tabia Charles

38. Tessa Virtue

39. Thomas Grandi

40. Scott Frandsen

41. Jesse Lumdsen

42. Ghislaine Landry