Could boycotting the 2018 World Cup prove more effective at persuading Russian president Vladimir Putin than an increasingly long list of economic sanctions? For the first time since the Ukraine crisis began nine months ago, EU diplomats are actively considering the idea.
要说服俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔•普京(Vladimir Putin)，抵制2018年世界杯足球赛(World Cup)会不会比越来越长的经济制裁清单更有效？自乌克兰危机在9个月前爆发以来，欧盟(EU)外交官第一次积极考虑这个想法。

According to an options paper circulated in European capitals yesterday, the EU is considering whether to recommend suspending Russia from “high-profile international cultural, economic or sporting events” including Formula One races, European football competitions and the next World Cup, awarded in 2010 to Russia.
根据在欧洲各国首都传阅的一份选项文件，欧盟正在考虑是否推荐暂停俄罗斯参与或者举办“引人注目的国际文化、经济或者体育活动”，包括F1(Formula One)赛车、欧洲的足球比赛以及俄罗斯在2010年赢得主办权的下一届世界杯。
Diplomats said a boycott of the World Cup would not be among new sanctions to be agreed by the end of the week. But during a meeting of EU ambassadors on Monday,
外交官们表示，本周即将商定的新制裁措施不会包含抵制世界杯。不过，在周一举行的欧盟大使会议上，有几个成员国的代表团（尤其是爱沙尼亚和立陶宛）
several delegations, particularly Estonia and Lithuania, showed great enthusiasm for the idea. According to the options paper, “thought could also be given to taking co-ordinated action” on a sporting ban once new sanctions are decided.
对这个想法表现出极大热情。根据上述选项文件，一旦决定新的制裁，“也可以考虑采取协同行动”实施体育禁赛。
“This kind of discussion is timely, as we do not see goodwill from the Russian side,” said a Latvian diplomat.
“这种讨论是适时的，因为我们没有看到俄方的善意，”一名拉脱维亚外交官说。
After the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the US led a boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, setting a precedent for using international sporting events as a proxy for geopolitical brinkmanship. Four years later, the Soviets retaliated, leading an Eastern bloc boycott of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
1979年苏联入侵阿富汗后，美国带头抵制1980年莫斯科奥运会，开启利用国际体育赛事为地缘政治博弈手段之先河。4年后，苏联采取了报复行动，带领东欧国家对1984年洛杉矶奥运会进行了联合抵制。
“Boycotting a prestigious international sports event has a distinctively Cold War feel to it,” said Mujtaba Rahman, head of European analysis at the Eurasia Group risk consultancy. “This will sting the Russians far more than anything the EU will do on finance this round.”
“抵制一项富有声望的国际体育赛事明显带有一种冷战的意味，”风险咨询公司欧亚集团(Eurasia Group)欧洲分析主管穆杰塔巴•拉赫曼(Mujtaba Rahman)说，“这对俄罗斯人造成的刺激将远远超过欧盟这一轮制裁的金融打击力度。”
Fifa said it stood by a statement made in response to the downing of flight MH17 in July that hosting the World Cup “can be a powerful catalyst for constructive dialogue between people and governments”.
国际足联(FIFA)表示，依然支持7月份马航MH17航班被击落后其做出的声明，即举办世界杯“可以作为促使各国人民和政府开展建设性对话的强大催化剂”。
The recommended economic sanctions to be debated by the European Commission today before being sent to national capitals for approval by the end of the week would expand the ban on Russian companies accessing European capital markets, currently limited to Russia’s large state-owned banks, to the country’s defence and government-owned energy groups.
今天欧盟委员会(European Commission)将围绕推荐的经济制裁措施展开辩论，本周晚些时候这些制裁措施将提交给各国首都审批。这次的经济制裁措施将扩大针对俄罗斯企业进入欧洲资本市场的禁令范围，目前这项禁令仅限于俄罗斯的大型国有银行、该国军工集团和国有控股的能源集团。