Russian wrestlers, who received an invitation from the International Olympic Committee, refused to perform at this yearʼs Olympic Games.
This was reported by the Russian Wrestling Federation.
The IOC invited 10 out of 16 wrestlers with Russian passports who obtained licenses to the Olympics. Among them are Nachin Mongush, Shamil Mamedov, Arslan Bagayev, Abdullah Kurbanov, Alan Ostayev, Magomed Murtazaliyev, Natalia Malysheva, Alina Kasabiyeva, Veronika Chumikova and Elizaveta Petlyakova.
Most of them, the Federation noted, "are not the leaders of the Russian national team," and the IOC allegedly specifically does not release the strongest athletes to the competition. Some of the leading wrestlers, such as Abdulrashid Sadulaev, were not allowed because of their support for the war in Ukraine.
According to the principles of the IOC regarding the participation of neutral athletes in the Olympic Games, such athletes should not support the war against Ukraine, nor use national or military symbols, such as Georgian ribbons or the Z symbol. This also applies to social networks, interviews and reposts of athletes. These are the facts that "Babel" discovered in the biographies of some wrestlers whom the IOC recognized as neutral.
Nachin Mongush, for example, spoke to the students
Abdulla Kurbanov and Elizaveta Petlyakova took part in propaganda sports tournaments — the guests were the Russian occupiers. And Alan Ostayev went to competitions
In the Instagram of Shamil Mamedov, "Babel" found a photo from his training, where a large portrait of Putin hangs in the hall. Another photo from the training session shows the portrait of the "hero of the SVO" Nurmagomed Hajimagomedov. And Natalia Malysheva liked the fallen occupiers in social networks, as did Alina Kasabiyeva.
Russian sports federations, which organize competitions and train Olympians, also support the war. For example, the Federation of Sports Wrestling of the Russian Federation organizes