None of eight Russians barred from judo worlds were athletes, says official

Doha: No judokas were among the eight Russians barred from the world championships in Qatar, the International Judo Federation (IJF) said on Saturday. “No athletes,” Vlad Marinescu, the IJF director general told journalists on Saturday. “Support staff, coaches, delegation heads. People who the report came back that had some affiliation with leadership of the country.” The championships, which start in Doha on Sunday, will be the first major international competition to welcome back Russian and Belarusian athletes, who have been excluded from most sporting events since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Ukrainian athletes will be absent, however, boycotting the event in protest. “I regret that the Ukrainian athletes will not be able to participate. We are very happy for them to participate,” said Marinescu. The decision to end the ban followed a recommendation of the International Olympic Committee. Marinescu said that the IJF executive committee voted unanimously to reinstate Russians and Belarusians. “From the moment the recommendation of the IOC came out, we immediately took action due to the proximity of the world championships,” said Marinescu. “We are getting closer to he Olympic Games in Paris and the qualification has begun. It is unfair that many athletes have been unable to qualify.” The IJF announced on Tuesday it had barred eight people following “independent background checks on the athletes and delegates to ensure both their place of employment and any social media interactions regarding pro-war propaganda”. The Ukrainian federation said some of the judokas in Qatar are soldiers in the Russian army. Marinescu said on Saturday that he was satisfied all the Russians were full-time athletes. “The findings concluded that there was no evidence to be found of any pro-war propaganda on any of their social media and we have received working certificates of employment showing from 2020 until recently that all the athletes are working for the federal training centre,” he said. Russian judokas in Qatar will compete without a flag and their anthem will not be played. “They are here as neutral and independent athletes,” said Marinescu. Russian President Vladimir Putin was honorary president and international ambassador of the IJF from 2008 until he was suspended from the post in 2022. In September 2022, judo was one of the last sports to exclude Russians and Belarusians from its competitions. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.