The national judo team of Ukraine will boycott the world championship due to the admission of Russians to the competition. Russian and Belarusian athletes were admitted under a neutral flag.
The head coach of the national team, Vitaliy Dubrova, told about this in the commentary of "Suspilne Sport".
He stated that the decision to boycott was made solely because of the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The International Judo Federation announced this on the last day of submission of applications. She also published a list of "individual neutral athletes", in which Russians and Belarusians were found.
In addition, the head coach reported that the International Federation did not even check those it admitted to the World Cup. Among them there are many representatives of CSKA. And the International Olympic Committee noted in its recommendations: athletes who have contracts with the armed forces of Russia or Belarus should not be allowed to compete.
"First, they saw the statement of the International Judo Federation about admission, the traditional "bridge to peace", that is, as they always write, "we are glad to welcome athletes from Russia and Belarus to the World Championship." The Olympic selection is ongoing and all athletes must be on equal terms. About 15 minutes later, the application of the so-called Russian team of neutral athletes appeared. And in the evening they also added Belarusian judokas — a boy and a girl," he explained.
According to him, an official statement of the Ukrainian Judo Federation is being prepared for Monday. The Ukrainian athletes themselves are disappointed because they were preparing for the World Championship.
The World Judo Championship will be held on May 7-13 in Doha. In addition to medals, athletes will choose points that will go into the Olympic rating — it will determine the selection for the 2024 Olympics in each weight category.
- In January 2023, the International Olympic Committee recommended allowing Russians and Belarusians to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris under a neutral flag, and then criticized the decision of the Ukrainian government not to allow athletes to participate in the qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympics shared with Russians and Belarusians. The IOC stated that "governments do not decide which athletes can participate in which international competitions."
- 35 countries opposed the admission of Russians and Belarusians to international sports competitions due to the war in Ukraine. Germany has said that it will deny visas to Russian athletes if the IOC allows them to participate in international competitions.
- The Ministry of Sports of Ukraine published a list of Russian and Belarusian athletes who support a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. A "portfolio" was created for each person on the list with evidence of their support for Russiaʼs aggression against Ukraine.
- The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) did not allow the Russian national team to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games. The World Badminton Federation also extended the ban on participation in tournaments for Russians and Belarusians.