Russian Judo Team withdraws from Paris Olympics amid controversy over IOC athlete selection

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially announced the list of judokas eligible to participate in the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, including only four athletes from Russia. This decision comes amidst ongoing debates over the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions due to geopolitical tensions.

The Russian Judo Federation had held out hope that a desire for a fully representative Olympic Games, featuring top athletes from all over the world, would override political considerations. Advocates argue that the essence of the Olympics is to determine the strongest competitors through fair competition, which they believe is compromised without the participation of Russian athletes.

The four names of Russian judokas, who qualified via the Olympic ranking list, who were accepted, are: Dali Liluashvili, Elis Startseva, Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov and Valerii Endovitskyi.

Despite these hopes, the IOC has permitted only four out of seventeen Russian judokas who met the Olympic qualification standards to compete. In response, the Presidium of the Russian Judo Federation has decided unanimously that the Russian national judo team will not participate in the Paris Games under these conditions. The Federation expressed that accepting the current terms would be degrading.

The Russian Judo Federation will view the IOC's selection method as unsportsmanlike and believe it aims to fracture their team and demoralise their athletes.

This decision by the IOC has been criticised by the Russian Judo Federation, which argues that it undermines confidence in the Olympic movement and damages the status of the Olympics as a premier global sporting event. They claim the exclusion of their athletes detracts from the legitimacy and competitiveness of the Games.

The Federation express optimism that the issues faced in the Paris Games will highlight the need for change and lead to a revival of the core values of Olympism: fair competition, purity of sport, and unity beyond political influences.