The Russian judo team lives for today, our young people have proven that they are the best and can bring glory to our country without leaving anywhere, said the President of the Russian Judo Federation (RJF). Sergei Soloveichik .
At the end of June, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed four Russian judokas to participate in the Summer Olympics in Paris in neutral status. The list included Eliz Startseva, Valery Endovitsky, Dali Liluashvili and Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov. In total, the Russian team had 12 quotas for participation in the Games – 7 for men and 5 for women. The President of the Russian Judo Federation, Igor Soloveichik, then announced that Russian judokas would not participate in the 2024 Games.
On Saturday, Makhmadbekov, who previously represented Russia at the competition, announced on social media that he would now compete for the United Arab Emirates. He accompanied the message with a photo from his profile on the International Judo Federation website. In the Sports Citizenship column, the United Arab Emirates is indicated.
— Are there any fears that the golden generation will not fully reach the main team?
— Now the federation creates such conditions that there is no point in leaving.
— The Judo Federation has always had good conditions. People are afraid of not participating in the Olympic Games.
— What will the Olympics be like? And will it be there in four years? Who can say that today? Who knows if it will be there in four years? Who wants to go and who doesn’t? We don’t know yet. When we talk to athletes, we say: “Let’s live for today, let’s win world titles, European titles and Grand Prix. Let’s prove that we are the best today.”
If the Olympics we want to take place, then we will go. And if we do not want to go, then maybe there will be alternative competitions proposed by our country with our allies.
Now is the time for change. Our team lives for today. Our young people have proven that they are the best and can bring glory to our country. Not to go somewhere, but to fight at home. In a competitive struggle, win medals in international competitions. It will be so. “I am sure of it,” the correspondent reports, according to Soloveichik’s words.
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
