2 Russian sporting federations publicly backed the invasion of Ukraine as many athletes show support for Putin's war

• Russia's boxing and bowling federations have publicly backed the invasion of Ukraine.
• A number of Russian boxers were in attendance at a pro-war rally in Moscow Friday.

Two Russian sporting federations have formally backed the invasion of Ukraine, as a number of athletes in the country continue to publicly support Putin and the war.

As first reported by Inside the Games, the Russian Boxing Federation backed the invasion in an Instagram post that went up on Friday, issuing a strong statement of support for President Vladimir Putin and the Russian army.

The statement came after Putin held a pro-war rally at the Luzhniki Stadium, Russia's national stadium, in Moscow Friday.

Alongside a number of photos taken from the crowd at the rally, the RBF posted the caption: "Times when, united, we will be able to resist all threats and difficulties."

"The boxing community took part in a festive concert in honor of the eighth anniversary of the annexation of the Republic of Crimea and in support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation!

"The entire boxing community of Russia expresses its full confidence and support to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin!

"Difficulties are temporary. And we can overcome them only together!

As well as being attended by athletes from Russian boxing, several Olympic medalists were seen at the Moscow rally, including Alexander Bolshunov, who won three golds at the Beijing Winter Games. A number of the athletes were seen wearing the pro-war "Z" symbol popularized in Russia since the invasion.

Russia's bowling federation also backed the invasion earlier in March, with its president issuing a strong statement in support of Putin and the "special military operation" — the euphemistic term being used in Russia to describe the war.

"We see that the special operation being carried out today on Ukrainian soil allows us to achieve our goals with minimal losses for our fraternal peoples," a statement from President Sergey Lisitsyn said, per Inside the Games.

"Given the unprecedented external pressure from the West, which for eight years condoned the flourishing of Nazism in Ukraine, today we clearly understand that the special operation was just an excuse to replicate Russophobic sentiments and escalate the situation around Russia and everything Russian."

Since the invasion of Ukraine in late February, the international sporting community has moved to distance itself from Russia, condemning Putin's actions, canceling events in the country, and banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions.

Among steps taken have been the indefinite cancelation of Formula One's Russian Grand Prix and moving the Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris. Some sports have made it mandatory for Russian athletes to compete under a neutral flag, while others have prohibited them from competing entirely.