Judokas feel pressured after startling announcement | Sport

First they were told that despite fierce discussions, the much-discussed Russian judokas can still participate in the Grand Slam of Mongolia, but then under the flag of the International Judo Federation (IJF). The Ukrainian judokas have therefore unsubscribed, after which the IJF has taken action in a remarkable way. Just before the start of the event, the World Federation informed the participating judokas that if someone decides to show solidarity with Ukraine by not fighting a Russian, his or her entire country will be immediately disqualified. As a result, the judokas feel very pressured.

“Judo is an individual sport, in which an entire team can now be duped by an individual”

“I think it’s a very difficult issue that the Russians’ participation is at the expense of the Ukrainian judokas. Also because this is already the start of the Olympic qualification”, says ex-world champion Noël van ‘t End, who is also in Mongolia. “I find the timing and choices of the IJF quite remarkable. And the fact that they are putting pressure on me and all the other judokas in this way is very difficult for me. I want to focus on my task: to win a medal. Not on political matters.”

Gijs Ronnes, director of top sport at Judo Bond Nederland, agrees with Van ‘t End. “We think this measure really goes too far,” said Ronnes. “Judo is an individual sport, in which an entire team can now be duped by an individual. This causes the judokas to be heavily burdened in their choices. That shouldn’t be the case.”

On behalf of TeamNL, in addition to Van ‘t End, Roy Meyer, Jur Spijkers and Frank de Wit are on the list of participants in Mongolia. The IJF has not yet responded to the fuss.