20230110_sports_USUvsWYOMING-24

Colorado State apologizes for ‘Russia’ chants

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — In the closing minutes of Utah State Men’s Basketball’s game at Colorado State on Saturday, TV mics picked up Ram fans chanting ‘Russia’ while Aggie guard Max Shulga, a native of Kyiv, Ukraine, was shooting free throws. The jeer was a direct reference to the Russia-Ukraine war, which has put many of Shulga’s family and friends at risk. 

In a statement released on Sunday, Shulga said he accepted and appreciated an apology from Colorado State for the chants.

 

Following the game, Colorado State Athletics tweeted out a statement acknowledging the incident and apologizing to the student-athlete who was affected. 

The statement continued with an apology and condemnation.

“On behalf of Colorado State, we apologize to the student-athlete and Utah State.  This is a violation of our steadfast belief in the Mountain West Sportsmanship Policy and University Principles of Community. Every participant, student, and fan should feel welcomed in our venues, and for something like this to have occurred is unacceptable at Colorado State.”

This statement received criticism from Aggie fans and other Twitter users for not naming Shulga in the statement, simply referring to him as “a student-athlete” and for calling his country “the Ukraine” — a phrase that the country has asked not to be used since it refers to when the region was part of the Soviet Union. 

CSU’s head coach, Niko Medved, tweeted that the behavior was unacceptable. 

Gloria Nevarez, the commissioner of the Mountain West Conference, said the “insensitive language” went against the values of the conference and its member institutions in a statement on Sunday.

“The conference will not condone degrading, disrespectful, or discriminating behavior in our arenas, stadiums or playing fields. We are aware of the insensitive language used by select spectators during the Utah State at Colorado State men’s basketball contest which is directly contrary to the principles of the Mountain West Sportsmanship Policy. We acknowledge Colorado State’s response to the conduct and we stand with them and our fellow Mountain West member institutions in our unwavering commitment to ensuring that all of our venues are safe and inclusive and that every student-athlete and coach feels respected and safe.”

On Sunday, USU Athletics issued a statement reiterating their support of Shulga and his family as well as condemning the chant. 

Saturday’s incident comes nearly a year after Colorado State joined the Aggies for a moment of silence before their game in Logan last February. 

Fellow Mountain West Conference member Air Force has also shown support to Shulga in the past. During the opening round of last season’s Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship, Air Force delivered cookies decorated with the colors of Ukraine to Shulga before the game. Air Force head coach Joe Scott said the cookies were meant as a sign of support.

“Everyone knows what’s going on within Ukraine and it’s hard to watch and see,” Scott said. “It was one way for us to be able to say… as we compete against each other, we’re really all in the same team here and I think that’s really important during this time.”

Utah State is not scheduled to face Colorado State again during the regular season. The Aggies won the game 88-79. 

 

Featured image by Sam Warner from the Wyoming game.

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