The International Judo Federation has allowed the participation of Russian athletes but without their flag and they represent the IJF.
Ukraine has started a boycott of international judo events because the Russian team was allowed to compete at the start of the Olympic qualifiers.
Judo is one of the few Olympic sports in which Russians can still compete. However, they must do so without their flag and officially represent the International Judo Federation (IJF).
That goes against the wishes of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which recommends excluding athletes from Russia. Also to its ally Belarus following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Until this week, Russia stayed away from international judo events. In the framework of what the IJF called “logistics and security” concerns.
You can read: Bayern to Barsa: Lewandowski is worth 50 million euros
In turn, he registered 24 athletes in the Grand Slam tournament in Mongolia that began this Friday. That is the first competition that counts towards qualification for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Koshliak alleged that 11 members of the Russian team competing in Mongolia were “active representatives of the Russian Armed Forces” and held military rank.
Among them is Madina Taimazova, who was congratulated by the Russian Defense Ministry in a statement. After winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year, she holds the rank of senior non-commissioned officer from her.
The IJF argued that it is avoiding discrimination. After allowing the Russians to continue competing and announced that he will punish any athlete who shows “political vindication or an unsportsmanlike attitude.”
Photo/ Courtesy
