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 of Tuva University as part of the propaganda project "I am proud of the heroes" together with the deputy from "United Russia" Eres Sat and Chayan Chimba — a Russian occupier who took part in the war. In 2024, wrestler Arslan Bagaev took part in the Russian tournament "Ivan Yarigin Cup". Russian occupiers and their families were invited to this tournament as guests.
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 occupied Crimea and took part in a tournament in memory of the Russian general Kutuzov, who died in the war against Ukraine. Magomed Murtazaliev was also a participant of the same tournament.
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 competitions for "veterans of the SVO", and also takes children from the occupied Luhansk region to Russia. The federation also distributes Russian occupation symbols, for example, the St. George ribbon, Z symbols. At some childrenʼs competitions, there was a large poster with the inscription "Zа мир!".