Russia announced on Saturday that 10 of its wrestlers who had been offered a spot at the Paris Olympics would refuse to compete.
The Russian Wrestling Federation said in a statement that its officials, coaches and athletes held a meeting and “reached a unanimous decision: to refuse to participate in the Olympic Games.”
The wrestlers would have made up the largest group of Russians in any sport in Paris through the neutral athlete program launched by the International Olympic Committee.
The program was designed to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete during the war in Ukraine.
The IOC had previously said it had invited 10 Russian wrestlers to the Paris Olympics. Its website listed nine as having agreed to be there, and one as having declined.
The IOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Russian wrestling federation’s statement Saturday, whether it believed the wrestlers had been pressured, and whether it would support any wrestler who wanted to participate, despite the Russian federation’s wishes.
The federation said it objected to the IOC’s choice of which wrestlers to invite. It said the Russians had qualified for up to 16 spots in Paris, not 10, and that six of the invitees were “far from being leaders on the team.”
The federation listed the best Russian wrestlers who were not invited and said the Olympic event would now be devalued.
“Any reasonable person understands that the status of the Games as the most important sporting event is in question, that wrestling competitions without Russian athletes will be incomplete, and the champions will not have the satisfaction of winning the Olympic tournament,” the statement said.
The IOC had already said it would only invite Russian and Belarusian athletes who have no links to the security services or the military and who have not publicly supported the war. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
They would compete in neutral uniforms and would not compete under the national flag.
Some Russian athletes and officials have expressed support for participating in the Paris Olympics under these conditions, while others have called for a boycott.
The wrestling federation sent athletes to participate in qualifications, unlike other Russian sports bodies.
Last week, the Russian Judo Federation announced that its board of directors had decided not to send any athletes to Paris.
His statement did not specify what his athletes thought. The IOC told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it was waiting for an “individual response” from judo athletes.
The IOC website says a Russian judo competitor has accepted an invitation.
On Sunday, the IOC website listed 23 Russian athletes in seven sports who it said had accepted invitations to the Paris Olympics, including wrestlers.
2021 Flushing Meadows champion Daniil Medvedev is among six tennis players who have been accepted, according to the IOC.
2024-07-06 17:41:17
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