Ukrainian athletes will not participate in the European Sambo Championships in Serbia
Russian officials linked to the combat sport Sambo shared their dismay after Ukraine confirmed that its athletes would boycott the upcoming European Championships in Serbia due to the participation of Russian and Belarusian competitors.
The European Sambo Championships will be held from September 15 to 18 in Novi Sad, where Russian and Belarusian athletes have been allowed to compete under the flag of the International Sambo Federation (FIAS).
This position led Ukraine to refuse to send competitors to the showpiece.
“We, the athletes, coaches and employees of NFSU [National Ukrainian Sambo Federation]declare our refusal to participate in the European Sambo Championships, which will be held in the city of Novi Sad, due to the decision of the International Sambo Federation and the European Sambo Federation to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in these competitions. read a statement shared by TASS.
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Judo star threatens if Russians are allowed to compete
The move was disappointed by Russian officials in a sport that has its origins in the Soviet Union.
“In any country in the world, in any city in Russia, everyone who practices Sambo forms a friendly family”, said the head coach of the Russian national Sambo team, Dmitry Troshkin.
“We have nothing to share on the mat except fair sport.
“The Ukrainian team is a strong team and has always been a strong competitor. That’s a shame. I understand they just got caught up in the [situation].”
ISAF President Vasily Shestakov of Russia also expressed dismay.
“Naturally, I would like athletes from all countries to participate in these competitions”, he told RIA Novosti.
“But now the situation is like this. It’s a shame, because the Ukrainian team has always been in the top three. the manager added, noting that “Sport unites people and will always serve to bring athletes from different countries together.
Elsewhere, the head of the European Sambo Federation, Sergey Eliseev, said the political context should not be reduced to sport.
“It is very important to us that all athletes can compete regardless of political situations. And we consider it wrong to mix sport with politics,” it Eliseev.
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‘No place’ for Russians in world sport, says Zelensky
Ukrainian officials – including President Vladimir Zelensky – have called for a blanket ban on Russian athletes from all international competitions, demanding that they be denied the right to appear even under neutral status.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended at the end of February to sports federations not to invite Russians and Belarusians to international events as far as possible.
IOC President Thomas Bach later claimed the measure was partly intended to protect Russian and Belarusian athletes from the supposed hostility they would face outside their respective countries.
Despite widespread bans, some sports – notably tennis – have allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutrals, despite being barred from team events.
In June, judo faced a situation similar to the one currently facing Sambo after Ukrainian athletes boycotted a tournament in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, after Russians were allowed to attend in a neutral capacity.
