Ovechkin pops up in Russian election ad. Here are 5 other sports stars who colluded with politicians
Alexander Ovechkin had made a cameo in the United Russia party’s newest campaign ad and didn’t say a word. His mere presence has been enough to reopen a much older debate about what happens when the world’s biggest sports stars throw their fame behind politicians.
The NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer and Washington Capitals forward appeared silently behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a campaign video released ahead of the 18–20 September State Duma election.
Other figures flanking Lavrov in the footage include RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, actor Vladimir Mashkov and former Detroit Red Wings and NHL player Viacheslav Fetisov.
🤡 «Whoever comes at us with a sword should expect no mercy»: United Russia releases a campaign video
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 14, 2026
With less than a week to go before voting, the campaign has fully turned into a festival of political absurdity.
In the video, the clown party addresses its opponents: if you… pic.twitter.com/7YmILeJCuc
Read more: Ovechkin ties Gretzky’s legendary record
Ovechkin later said he was asked to take part and that his decision was a message of support for Russia, not support for war.
«As soon as I’m done playing hockey, I’m probably going to stay there. I’m going to live there. My kids are going live there. Family. So I’m for peace and love, and I hope everything’s going to be okay. My home is Russia. D.C. is my second home.»
- Neymar danced to Bolsonaro's jingle
- Özil and Gündoğan lauded Erdoğan
- Dennis Rodman went to Kim Jong Un’s B-day
- Maradona for Maduro
Neymar danced to Bolsonaro’s jingle
Days before Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, Neymar posted a 13-second TikTok in which he danced and lip-synced to right-wing Jair Bolsonaro’s campaign jingle, including its call to vote for ballot number 22.
Bolsonaro was quick to share the clip as he campaigned for re-election against his left-wing contender Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Esse é o verdadeiro motivo do Neymar não ser convocado. Ele sempre apoio Bolsonaro, fez campanha em 2018 e 2022 pic.twitter.com/NaNRQpQvEM
— PATRlOTAS (@PATRlOTAS) April 1, 2026
Özil and Gündoğan lauded Erdoğan
Four years earlier, German internationals Mesut Özil and İlkay Gündoğan created an uproar after posing in London with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shortly before Turkey’s presidential election.
Gündoğan presented Erdoğan with a Manchester City shirt that bore a message referring to him as «my president.» He later said he had not intended the meeting as a political endorsement.
Özil said the photo was about respect for his country’s highest office, not an endorsement of Erdoğan’s policies. He eventually retired from international football, saying he had experienced «racism and disrespect»; the German football federation rejected the allegation that it had acted in a racist manner.
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Dennis Rodman went to Kim Jong Un’s B-day
The former NBA champion Dennis Rodman repeatedly travelled to North Korea and, in January 2014, brought former basketball players to Pyongyang for an exhibition held to mark Kim Jong Un’s birthday.
On CNN, Rodman angrily asked why Kenneth Bae was in custody and whether he would discuss it with Kim. He apologised for the remarks. His trips drew US criticism over whether celebrity engagement was benefiting North Korea.
Maradona for Maduro
Diego Maradona made little attempt to separate sport from his political loyalties.
The Argentine football icon joined Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro at the Venezuelan leader’s closing campaign rally in Caracas in May 2018, days before Maduro asked for another term. Reuters photos show Maradona with Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, greeting supporters.
Maradona repeatedly and publicly identified himself with Venezuela’s Chavista movement and with Maduro. His presence was more of a straightforward political affiliation rather than a non-political presence that was subsequently framed.
Tennis world has stories to tell: Mirra Andreeva wins French Open title as Russian flag controversy resurfaces
Russians began voting on 18 September in a three-day election, the country’s first since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, for all 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
