Ukraine Withdraws From World Judo Championships Over Russian Soldier Presence

Ukraine on Monday pulled its team from the World Judo Championships in Qatar over the presence of Russian athletes it argued were active soldiers. The International Judo Federation (IJF) gave judokas from Russia and Belarus the green light to compete at the May 7-14 championships in Doha on the proviso they compete as individual neutral athletes. But the Ukrainian judo federation said in a statement that "the majority of the (Russian) team are athletes who are active servicemen of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, part of the army that attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022".

A Russian army, the federation said, that "is still waging a brutal full-scale war on our territory, shelling Ukrainian cities, civilian homes every day, killing civilians and children".

"Instead, more than 250 Ukrainian athletes have given their lives defending the country. Among them are representatives of judo."

The federation added: "We do not see here neutrality, equal conditions and a 'bridge to peace' as stated in the IJF Resolution on the participation of Russian and Belarusian teams in the World Championships in Doha.

"Moreover, we see here a decision that contradicts the latest recommendations of the International Olympic Committee of March 28, 2023, where the IOC says that the status of neutral athletes can only be granted to those athletes who are not military personnel."

IOC president Thomas Bach said last month that Russians and Belarusians banned from international competition would include "athletes who actively support the war" as well as "athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies".

Athletes from Russia and Moscow ally Belarus have faced sanctions from a multitude of