Arman Adamian from Russia is the judo world champion.
Photographed by Arman Adamia in 2021. EPA / AOP
Russian Arman Adamian has won the World Judo gold in the 100 kg category in Doha, Qatar.
Adamian competed in the World Championships as a neutral athlete without national symbols. 18 other Russian and Belarusian judokas did the same.
Adamian defeated the two-time Olympic champion, the Czech Republic, in the final of the tournament Lukáš Krpál too.
When the Russian got on the podium, the anthem of the International Judo Federation IJF was played and a flag with the logo of the Games was raised. Insidethegames website tells.
Adamian was the first Russian medalist at the World Championships. The competitions have been going on for five days.
The International Olympic Committee IOC has ruled that the sports federations can, if they wish, allow Russian athletes to compete without badges, if they do not support the war efforts of the Russian army.
The Ukrainian Judo Federation announced last week that it was boycotting the games because the “neutral team” included persons connected to the Russian army. The IJF reacted by kicking eight people linked to the Russian military from the Games.
However, the IJF had an embarrassing slip-up. Those who were kicked out were not judokas, but their background persons, such as coaches. Therefore, the team of Russians without badges registered for the games with almost the maximum crew, i.e. a group of 19 judokas.