But the Russian offensive in Ukraine contradicts the spirit of Judah. “When I listen to the media reports about the inhuman acts committed in Ukraine and the Russian military aggression, it breaks my heart. President Putin is a judoka and these acts are against the ideas and meaning of Judo. It must not be tolerated,” Yamashita told insidethegames.
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The 64-year-old Yamashita is the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic winner in the heaviest weight category. Putin previously visited him at the famous Tokyo Judiciary Center in the Kodokan Hall. In 2008, they co-recorded a video called Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin. But Yamashita, who is also the head of the Japan Olympic Committee, said his relationship with the Russian president was not as close as people thought.
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Due to his close relationship with Judo, Putin was the honorary president of the International Judicial Federation. She removed him from office just days after Russia attacked Ukraine in February.
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