Vladimir Putin has been temporarily stripped of his status as honorary president of the International Judo Federationthree days after the Russian president ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
“In light of the war in Ukraine, the International Judo Federation announces the suspension of the status of honorary president and ambassador of Mr. Vladimir Putin,” explains a laconic release official issued this Sunday.
Until now, the International Judo Federation had limited itself to announcing on Friday the cancellation of the Grand Slam scheduled for Kazan in May, in a note entitled “Judo for peace” in which he limited himself to lamenting the “international situation, the result of inefficient dialogue”.
The head of the Kremlin is a great Judo fan and black belt.
The Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is a master of Judo (belt, black 9th Dan) and did not want to miss the opportunity to train with the judokas of the Russian team who are preparing for the Olympic Games.
Numerous sports have already canceled or relocated competitions outside of Russia after the Russian offensive in Ukraine began on Thursday, a move urged by the International Olympic Committee. to all international federations. In addition, the IOC also requested that no Russian and Belarusian national flag be displayed at matches or tournaments in which its athletes participate.
In some countries, some sports authorities have gone further, notably in Sweden, where its government has directly urged a sports boycott to Russia, a move with few precedents in history.
