A space conference held in honor of famed Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin has been renamed because he was Russian.
In a now-deleted announcement, the non-profit Space Foundation said that “in light of current world events,” they would be changing “Yuri’s Night” to “A Celebration of Space: Discover What’s Next” at its Space Symposium conference, Futurism reported.
“The focus of this fundraising event remains the same — to celebrate human achievements in space while inspiring the next generation to reach for the stars,” read the former update.
In 1961, Gagarin, a Soviet Union pilot, became the first person to enter space, signaling a major escalation of the US-Soviet Cold War space race. He was followed that same year by American Alan Shepard.
Gagarin’s cancellation can be added to a long list of Russian or Russian-associated things that have been censured as a result of the Russian-Ukraine war. The International Cat Federation has banned Russian-bred felines from participation, New York City’s Metropolitan Opera has parted ways with their Russian star soprano and sales have plummeted at the Russian Tea Room.
