Russian Abdulrashid Sadulaev, double Olympic freestyle wrestling champion, was excluded from the European qualifying tournament for the Paris Olympics because of his support for the war in Ukraine, the International Wrestling Federation (UWW) announced on Thursday. “Abdulrashid Sadulaev was excluded from the European Olympic qualifying tournament in Baku after failing to meet the eligibility criteria set by the International Olympic Committee for individual neutral athletes,” the Federation wrote on its website.
Olympic champion in 2016 at 86 kg, then crowned again in 2021 at 97 kg, Sadulaev was declared ineligible by the independent “United World Wrestling Eligibility” panel. An investigation by this panel revealed "new information" relating to the wrestler's "support" for Russia's war against Ukraine. It was also established that the five-time world champion was still an official member of Dynamo Moscow, a sports club linked to Russian power.
A rigorous verification process
Like almost all international sporting bodies, the UWW followed the IOC's recommendation to reintegrate, under conditions, Russian and Belarusian athletes into international competitions, after having banned them at the end of February 2022 in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The body imposed strict conditions: only athletes who do not actively support the war in Ukraine and are not under contract with the army or with national security agencies will be affected.
“Each individual neutral athlete is subject to a rigorous vetting process by the UWW before each tournament,” the Federation said in a statement, with the IOC requiring “thorough background and social media checks on individuals from Russia and Belarus ". The TQO, which awards two tickets for the Paris Olympics in each category, takes place from April 5 to 7 in Baku.