Ukraine demands the suspension of Russian judokas supporting the war from the Universiade

According to glavcom.ua: The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and the Judo Federation of Ukraine demand the suspension of Russian judokas from the Universiade due to their support for the war. They addressed an appropriate letter to international sports organizations.

"We express our gratitude to the investigative journalists of 'Glavkom' for additional evidence of the violation of neutrality criteria by Russian athletes," the authors of the appeal emphasize.

The Ukrainian side opposes the participation of Russian judokas in the Universiade. These athletes took part in a propaganda tournament in Russia that was held in October 2022, where they met with representatives of pro-Putin organizations.

According to the recommendations of the IOC, athletes with neutral status should not support the war or participate in propaganda events. Ukrainian sports organizations urge to verify and suspend Russian athletes from international competitions.

As long as the war against Ukraine continues, the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions should be banned. Thank you to Glavkom for additional evidence of the violation of neutrality by Russian athletes.

The verification and suspension of Russian athletes from participating in the Universiade is a demand of Ukrainian sports organizations in connection with their support for the war and pro-Putin activities.