2023-05-02 13:51:23
The International Judo Federation (IJF) has rejected eight names in the delegation proposed by Russia to participate under a neutral banner in the 2023 World Championships in Doha, Qatar (May 7-13). Following a recommendation from the International Olympic Committee, the IJF had agreed to reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes, but only under neutral banners and under conditions of neutrality. This decision notably provoked the boycott of the Ukrainian delegation, leading to the absence of the double world champion (2018 and 2019) of -48 kg Daria Bilodid.
For these Worlds, the International Judo Federation received a list of participants and “carried out an independent examination of the backgrounds of the athletes and delegates”. Only athletes “employed at the Federal Sports Training Center” and athletes “for whom no information has been identified suggesting support or opinions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine” were allowed to participate in the Worlds-2023, said the IJF.
“After thorough examination, eight members of the delegation were rejected” from the list to participate in the Worlds, underlined the International Federation, without specifying whether they are judokas or any other member of the delegation (coaches, doctors , physios…).
On the website of the International Judo Federation dedicated to the 2023 Worlds, twenty “neutral individual athletes” (10 men and 10 women, Russian or Belarusian) appear among the participants, including the 2021 heavyweight vice-world champion (+100 kg), Tamerlan Bashaev, who fell for Teddy Riner at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, or the 2021 -60 kg world champion, Yago Abuladze, registered in the -66 kg category in Doha.
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