The world of sports has been abuzz with news that Russian Olympic gold medalists have been barred from upcoming world championships in fencing and taekwondo, while others from their nation will be allowed, as those sports follow the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recommendations for reintegrating Russian athletes. The move has been made in response to the conflict in Ukraine, with the IOC recommending that international sports federations only accept those who do not actively support the war in Ukraine and are not actively contracted by the military, should they decide to readmit athletes from Russia and Belarus as neutrals.
The news has prompted World Taekwondo to deny applications from Russian taekwondo athletes Vladislav Larin and Maksim Khramtsov, who became the first taekwondo athletes from Russia to win an Olympic title in Tokyo. World Taekwondo admitted 23 neutral athletes from Belarus and Russia, with two athletes’ applications being rejected because they didn’t fulfill the conditions for participation outlined by the IOC’s recommendations in March. World Taekwondo did not name the two rejected athletes.
Several sports have taken steps toward reintegrating some Russian and Belarusian athletes, including taekwondo and fencing. However, this has prompted Ukraine to boycott some competitions, including the taekwondo world championships. Ukraine also boycotted the world judo championships earlier this month, the first world championships in an Olympic sport run by an IOC-sanctioned sport federation to include athletes from Russia since December 2021.
In addition, the Italian government has advised that some fencers from Russia would not be allowed into the country for the world championships in that sport in Milan in July, following the IOC’s recommendations. The move also comes after Italy’s National Olympic Committee president specifically named Tokyo Olympic sabre champion Sofia Pozdniakova, whose father is Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov. Fencing’s international governing body (FIE) has approved some athletes from Russia to compete internationally as neutrals, but that list includes neither Pozdniakova nor any of the nation’s other six gold medalists from the Tokyo Games.
FIE lifted restrictions on athletes from Russia and Belarus earlier in March when the IOC was still recommending all athletes be banned. However, so far, no Russian or Belarusian athlete has returned to compete in the sport’s top-level World Cup and Grand Prix events.
This news has caused a stir in the sporting world, with many wondering what the future holds for Russian athletes and their ability to compete at the highest level. It remains to be seen what actions the IOC and other international sports federations will take in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its impact on sports as a whole. For now, the situation remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the world of sports is deeply divided over the issue of whether Russian athletes should be allowed to compete or not.
