Chair of the council of The Bar of Ireland, Maura McNally SC, said: “We have to take a principled stand in light of the bloody invasion occurring in Ukraine; any opportunity to send a signal of disgust to society in Russia must be harnessed.

“We have asked the organisers to communicate to the Russian team, in no uncertain terms, that their removal from the competition is a mark of our condemnation. We have advised the organisers that The Bar of Ireland will not in any way facilitate a Russian team.”

The Dublin round of the competition, led by UCD is part of an international series, overseen by a governing body in Vienna – Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. A decision on whether to exclude Russian teams by the Vienna organisers is awaited.

Ms McNally added: “That the Vienna organisers have yet to make a decision on this, and join the global condemnation of Russia’s actions is wholly unsatisfactory. The Bar of Ireland call on the Vienna organisers to definitively state their position in respect of the ongoing competition, and to exclude all Russian teams as a matter of principle. This is not a political stance. It is a humanitarian stance.”