The decision was made due to the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes in Qatar, although they will not have a flag and anthem. They will be neutral athletes
Nothing judo world championships 2023. Top 20 Ukrainian athletes have announced they will boycott the games starting in Qatar dal 7 to 13 May, to protest the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes. There International Judo Federation states that Russia e Belarus will be present but will compete as neutral teams without flag and anthem, in practice the athletes will be neutral.
The Ukrainian national team had already been retreating for some time in Kiev to prepare for the match. Now the dream of the World Cup is over.
Vitaly Dybrovacoach of the Ukrainian judo team explains that “the athletes were preparing for these world championships. We knew that a similar situation could happen. Until the end we hoped that common sense would prevail. But no. On April 28, a few hours Before the registration deadline, a message appeared on the Federation’s website stating that Russians and Belarusians were being admitted to all its competitions in neutral status, the so-called neutral athletes.
“Most of the Russian team is made up of soldiers active in the army that has been attacking Ukraine since February 24, 2022 – reads the statement – More than 250 Ukrainian athletes, including several judokas, gave their lives to defend the country”, underlined the Ukrainian Federation in a statement. “We do not accept neutrality, nor equality of treatment and not even a “bridge for peace” as stated by the IJF in its justification. Furthermore, we believe that this decision goes against the instructions from the IOC of last March 28, according to which the status of neutral athlete cannot be granted to soldiers”.
The International Judo Federation, an independent body, will now conduct background checks and monitor athletes’ social media accounts. Anyone who supports a Russian invasion of Ukraine will be barred, the ruling body said.
The withdrawal from the world event will weigh on the future of the Ukrainian national team, as it is one of the qualifying stages for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
2023-05-02 12:13:37
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