The Russian Judo Federation will not send any representatives to the Paris Olympics.
The body spoke on Saturday about the “humiliating conditions” set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Russian judokas to participate in the competition.
Four of them had, however, been selected to defend their chances under a neutral banner.
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Paris 2024 Olympic Games
No Russian judokas this summer in Paris. The Russian Judo Federation announced this Saturday that it would not send any representatives to the events of this sport during the 2024 Olympic Games. A declaration which comes after the publication of the new list of Russian or Belarusian athletes authorized by the IOC to participate in the competition under a neutral banner. “Of the 17 judokas who had obtained an Olympic qualification, the IOC only authorized four of them to participate, deplored the Russian federation in a press release. Without Russian athletes, the judo competitions at the Games will be incomplete.“
If 17 Russian judokas had obtained enough points to qualify, only 14 could have gone to Paris: in fact, each nation can enter only one judoka per weight category (seven women’s categories, seven men’s). But only a handful had finally been selected.The Russian national judo team will not accept these humiliating conditions“, insisted the Russian Federation. The body considers that “Such actions by the IOC undermine the credibility of the Olympic movement” et “destroy the status of the Olympic Games as the most important sporting event” in the world.
Support for the Russian war in Ukraine problematic
The leading figure of Russian judo, Inal Tasoev, was not part of this selection. In 2023, the latter had been beaten by Teddy Riner in the final of the World Championships in +100kg, before finally being crowned co-world champion after an arbitration imbroglio. Like the other Russian heavyweight Tamerlan Bashaev, who had beaten the French champion at the Tokyo Games, he was part of a list drawn up by the Ukrainian government of Russian athletes who, according to it, supported the invasion of Ukraine.
However, to be invited to the Olympics as “neutral individual athletes”, Russian judokas had to overcome both the obstacle of qualifications and a double check, by the international federations then the IOC, of their absence of active support to the war in Ukraine and connection with their country’s army. The Olympic organization had initially decided to completely ban Russian athletes from competition in France, before authorizing their gradual return under strict conditions.
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Ultimately, only 20 Russian or Belarusian participants have so far confirmed their presence for the Paris Olympics. Among them are tennis players Daniil Medvedev, who has already won the US Open, and Mirra Andreeva, a rising star of Russian tennis. Several wrestlers and cyclists are also expected to be present, as is Anzhela Bladtceva, the reigning trampoline world vice-champion.
