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Good morning The world of sport is often accused of being slow to act but it has quickened the pace this week. Many sporting bodies, including football’s FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, responded swiftly to the war in Ukraine. Just one example is the about-turn by the Paralympic Committee on Wednesday. That prevented hugely disappointed athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in the Paralympic Games now underway in Beijing. The nub of it all was contained for me in a very public social media exchange between Manchester City’s Ukrainian player, Oleksandr Zinchenko and the Russian national team captain Artem Dzyuba. Whilst the Russian captain pleaded for politics to be kept out of sport, the Ukrainian international responded: “Everyone should be fighting evil, regardless of their occupation.” This first weekend of Lent takes us into the barren wilderness of the Judean desert. In a dramatic story, the battle between evil and good takes place. Three times the devil tempts Jesus to ensure that evil prevails. But three times Jesus is not tempted, confronts evil head on and remains steadfast in his belief that there is a much better way. The moral of this story for a Christian is that in the face of temptation, the easy choice is often the wrong choice, and the right way is generally the hardest. Many decision makers are on the horns of that dilemma this weekend - not least in the sporting world. Sport naturally brings people of all cultures, faiths and nationalities together. Political differences have usually been put to one side in the very name of taking part. This has marked-out sport, over decades, in the face of difficult choices. But Ukraine seems to be a tipping point. Writing in the Wall Street Journal Jason Gay comments that it’s “absurd to think games and athletes can turn away from broader discussion of war, tragedy, equality, anything. Sports are human. They can’t turn away. Now in Ukraine. Or ever.” I’m sure he’s right. There are no longer any easy choices. The hardest choices we make now need to be the right ones. The wilderness evoked this Lent is for sure a hard and difficult place. But it is not, I believe, without the promise of redemption.