Russian and Belarusian wrestlers allowed to participate in international competitions
The International Federation of Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Women's Wrestling (United World Wrestling) at its extraordinary meeting made a decision regarding the admission of Russians and Belarusians to the competition.
Source: UWW website; Suspilne Sport
Details: The decision on the admission of specific wrestlers to the competition will be made by an "independent panel". The UWW will announce the list of athletes and the criteria for their admission in the coming weeks.
At the same time, athletes of younger age groups (under 15 and under 17) return to competitions immediately.
This decision was unanimously supported by all UWW bureau representatives. The rest of the sanctions remain effective, in accordance with the recommendations of the IOC.
The nearest big start in wrestling is the European Championship, which will take place in Zagreb, Croatia, from 17 to 23 April.
At the same time, according to the new IOC recommendations, only those athletes from Russia and Belarus who have not actively declared their support for the war, and who are not members of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Russian Guard and other security forces, will be able to return to the competition.
Russian and Belarusian fighters were suspended from international competitions in March 2022. The corresponding decision was made after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
Reminder: At the Olympic Games in Japan in 2021, Greco-Roman wrestler Zhan Beleniuk became the only Olympic champion in Ukrainian team, performing in the weight category up to 87 kg.
Background:
- On 31 March, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers decided that Ukrainian athletes will boycott tournaments where athletes from Russia or Belarus are represented.
- On 3 April, Ukraine's Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that it intends to revoke the national status of federations that will not boycott competitions involving Russians and Belarusians.
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