World Taekwondo decided to remove the ninth dan black belt from Russian President Vladimir Putin in rejection of his country’s attacks on Ukraine in recent days.
The degree of black belt had been given to him in November 2013 in recognition of his skills in the sport.
The organization strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, and these actions go against its vision of peace, tolerance and respect, World Taekwondo said in a statement.
Likewise, days before, the International Judo Federation withdrew from Putin the position of honorary president of the organization and the eighth dan he had in judo.
