The International Wrestling Federation banned several Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the World Wrestling Championships.
Almost 30 Russian and Belorussian athletes will miss the World Championships due to military service. Illustration picture. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
The international wrestling federation UWW has banned several Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the World Championships of the sport.
of Inside The Games according to a total of 26 Russian and Belarusian athletes will have to watch the games from their home couch.
A total of 235 people from Russia and Belarus competed for the World Wrestling Championships. The association checked everyone’s personal data and social connections.
– 26 people were denied entry to the Games either because of their support for the war or because they had a confirmed contract with the military or the National Security Agency.
The World Wrestling Championships will be held in Belgrade in mid-September. The races start on 16.9. and end on 24.9.
Originally, the games were supposed to be held in the city of Krasnoyarsk in Russia, but they were moved to Serbia due to the war of aggression started by Russia.
Russian and Belarusian wrestlers last participated in the World Championships in 2021, but last April UWW decided to follow the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee IOC and take athletes back to international competitions.
The condition was that the athletes may not actively support the war or be part of the army. Russia has been among the top countries in the sport.
At the beginning of August, UWW decided to postpone the under-23 world championships awarded to Finland. The international federation demanded a guarantee from the organizers of the games that the athletes would get the necessary visas to get to the Tampere molske. The Finnish Wrestling Federation is unable to do this, as only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Border Guard are responsible for visas in Finland.
UWW is chaired by a Serbian Nenad Lalovic, who has made statements sympathetic to Russia over the years. Serves as the vice president of the umbrella organization Mikhail Mamiashviliwhich is believed to be Vladimir Putin close friend.