The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has disqualified Russian chess player Sergey Karjakin for six months for publicly supporting Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
"Sergey Karjakin is found guilty of breach of article 2.2.10 of the FIDE Code of Ethics, and is sanctioned to a worldwide ban of six months from participating as a player in any FIDE rated chess competition, taking effect from the date of this decision, 21 March 2022," FIDE said in a statement.
The penalty means Karjakin won't participate in the World Candidates Tournament, scheduled to start on June 16.
The 32-year-old Karjakin has supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine since it started on February 24. The invasion has been harshly criticized by many in the chess world.
Karjakin, who was born in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that was forcibly annexed by Russia eight years ago, represented Ukraine until 2009.
In a statement on his Telegram account, he called the FIDE decision "shameful."
"All sports selections have been trampled, the basic principle that sport is out of politics has been trampled," Karjakin added.
Last week, FIDE banned Russia and Belarus from its official competitions "until further notice" in response to the attack on Ukraine.
Belarus was included because it has provided logistical support for Moscow in its offensive, including allowing Russia to use Belarusian territory to launch operations.