The IOC did not admit the wrestler Sadulaev to the qualifying tournament at the Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not allow the Russian wrestler Abdulrashid Sadulaev to participate in the tournament in Baku for selection for the Olympic Games in Paris. This is reported on the official website of the Russian Wrestling Federation (FSBR).

This is already the second decision regarding Sadulaev. In February, the two-time Olympic champion from Russia was not allowed to enter Romania on a Schengen visa and was not given the opportunity to perform at the European Championship.

After the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, in March 2022, Sadulaev took part in a rally-concert in Luzhniki dedicated to the eighth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, at which President of Russia Vladimir Putin spoke. In the criteria for admission to the Olympic Games in Paris, the IOC stated that it would monitor the participation of Russian athletes in demonstrations and political events.

According to the Russian mass media, the heads of the NOCs and wrestling federations of Ukraine recently addressed an open letter to IOC President Thomas Bach. They drew attention to the fact that among the Russian athletes admitted to the selection for the Games in Paris, there are those who support the war in Ukraine. Abdulrashid Sadulaev is mentioned in the list, as confirmed.

Sadulaev won gold at the Games in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, and the 27-year-old wrestler also has five victories at the world championships.

The Summer Olympic Games will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Russian and Belarusian athletes will perform at them in a neutral status, only in individual sports and only if they are not connected with military departments or security agencies. Russian national teams in some sports refused to participate on such conditions.

On March 19, the IOC announced that 55 Russian athletes will be able to qualify for the Olympics. Twelve of them have now qualified. The names and types of sports are not specified, but wrestlers, judoists, taekwondo players, tennis players and rowers may be among them: earlier, the federations of these sports allowed Russians to international competitions, despite Russian aggression in Ukraine.