Ukraine boycott world judo champs as Belarusians compete under flag
Ukraine's Anton Savytskiy (blue) in the men's -100 kg category at the European Judo Championships in Podgorica on April 26, 2025 (SAVO PRELEVIC)
Ukraine will not compete in the world judo championships starting on Friday in Budapest in protest at two Belarusians who will compete under their country's flag for the first time since the Russian-backed invasion of Ukraine.
Belarusians Aliaksandr Sidoryk and Yahor Varapayeu are on the entry list in the under 90kg category, flying their country's flag, something they have been prohibited from doing since the start of the invasion on February 24, 2022.
Advertisement
According to the Ukrainian Judo Federation, a decision by the International Judo Federation (IJF) Executive Board in mid-May authorised Belarusian judokas to represent their country under their flag from June 1.
The IJF is the first international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to formalise the return of the Belarusian flag.
The IJF authorised Russian and Belarusian judokas to compete under neutral banners from March to September 2022, before banning them in accordance with IOC recommendations.
On March 28, 2023, the IOC recommended international federations allow athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports to participate under neutral banners and under strict neutrality conditions, maintaining the exclusion for team competitions.
Advertisement
Ukraine boycotted the 2023 World Judo Championships due to a decree from the Ukrainian Ministry of Sports prohibiting athletes in its official delegations from participating in competitions featuring Russians or Belarusians.
This decree was amended on July 26, 2023, and now only applies to "athletes representing the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus," allowing them to compete against athletes under a neutral banner.
For the 2025 World Judo Championships in Budapest, no Ukrainians are on the entry list and Russian judokas are competing under a neutral banner.
When contacted by AFP about the return of the Belarusian flag and the Ukrainian boycott, the IOC did not immediately respond.
The IJF's decision, however, directly violates IOC recommendations, which have been consistent since the end of March 2023.
cfe-dif-tba/ea/iwd
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Three Ukrainians killed in bus accident in France, Zelensky confirms
Three Ukrainian nationals were killed in a bus accident in France on June 13, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in a statement on Telegram. "Terrible news about the tragic bus accident in France," Zelensky wrote. The accident occurred in the morning of June 13, near the Sarthe department of France. The bus was reportedly carrying Ukrainian nationals, including adults and children, who were returning from an educational exchange. While en route to Paris, the bus lost control and flipped into a ditch. Four adults were killed in total – three of whom were Ukrainian nationals. French media reported that nine people sustained serious injuries, while an additional 18 suffered minor injuries. Zelensky added that Ukraine's Foreign Ministry promptly sent a team of diplomats and consuls, led by the ambassador to France, to assist survivors and support the victims' families. The team is coordinating with French authorities and emergency services at the scene. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko are providing regular updates on the victims' conditions and emerging details regarding the accident. Zelensky thanked the French authorities, noting that "more than 50 emergency teams were deployed" in what he called "a true expression of French solidarity."He also expressed his "condolences to all the families of the victims" and wished for a "speedy recovery of the injured children." Read also: Russian military equipment reportedly hit in Ukrainian drone attack against Crimea We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Tucker Carlson Blasts Former Fox News Colleague Sean Hannity: 'Warmongers'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson blasted his former Fox News colleague Sean Hannity on Friday, calling Hannity and other MAGA hawks "warmongers" for cheering Israel's missile strikes against the Iranian regime. The Context Israel launched a series of strikes against Iran early Friday, local time, which decimated the regime's military chain of command, hit critical nuclear facilities and took out top Iranian nuclear scientists. After the strikes, Iran pulled out of scheduled nuclear talks with the U.S. and retaliated against Israel with a wave of rocket attacks that struck Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial center and also home to the country's central military base. Israel and Iran have been engaged in an increasingly destructive array of tit-for-tat strikes against one another since Hamas—backed by the Iran-led Axis of Resistance—carried out its attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. But the strikes commenced by Israel early Friday marked the most serious escalation yet between Jerusalem and Tehran. What To Know When Israel struck Iran, it capped a long-running foreign policy battle being waged in President Donald Trump's inner circle. Carlson, a staunch isolationist, was among the voices urging against escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, which were at a tipping point before Israel's strikes against the regime early Friday. He also supported Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, as he spearheaded the nuclear discussions with Iran. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson gestures during an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 6, 2024. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson gestures during an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 6, 2024. Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP On the other side of the coin were Hannity and conservative media host Mark Levin, who, among others, were deeply skeptical that Iran would agree to end its nuclear program and expressed support for Israel taking military action. On Friday, Carlson tore into Hannity, Levin, conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch and conservative megadonors Isaac Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. "The real divide isn't between people who support Israel and people who support Iran or the Palestinians. The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers," Carlson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He added: "Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who's calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran. On that list: Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Rupert Murdoch, Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. At some point they will all have to answer for this, but you should know their names now." Newsweek reached out to Fox News for comment via email on Friday. Hannity and Levin took a victory lap on Fox News shortly after Israel carried out its first strike against Iran early Friday, with Hannity rattling off a list of Iran's provocations and nuclear threats and Levin saying that "the Iranians are about to get their asses kicked and it's been coming since Jimmy Carter." "They think this is Joe Biden's administration, that they would get away, get nuclear weapons and then the world would sit there, wouldn't know what to do about it," he said, adding that Israel "is not going to sit there and take it." Hours after the strikes, Carlson put out what he called his potential "final newsletter before all-out war" and accused Trump of being "complicit." "While the American military may not have physically perpetrated the assault, years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the U.S. at the center of last night's events. Washington knew these attacks would happen," Carlson wrote. "They aided Israel in carrying them out. Politicians purporting to be America First can't now credibly turn around and say they had nothing to do with it. Our country is in deep." "Despite being complicit in the act of war, the president hopes last night's events will help his ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran," Carlson added. "Steve Witkoff was scheduled to participate in the next round of talks on Sunday, but whether that will still happen is up in the air." Israel's strikes against Iran came after months of Trump urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Tehran, saying that it would torpedo America's already tenuous negotiations with the Iranian regime. What People Are Saying On Friday, after Israel's strikes, Trump again pushed Iran to come back to the table, writing on Truth Social: "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!" After Iran initiated its retaliatory rocket attacks against Israel, a U.S. defense official told Newsweek: "Yes, the U.S. is assisting in shooting down missiles targeting Israel." What Happens Next Israel and Iran have been bombing each other since the first wave of strikes early Friday, with Israel saying it plans to "escalate" in response to Iran's retaliatory attack. Iran, meanwhile, has warned that it will target the military bases of any countries that assist Israel.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Israel's drone strikes in Iran show why US must halt China's land grab here: experts
National security and China experts are warning that Israel's attack on Iran is an example of why Beijing's efforts to purchase land and other assets within the United States need to be stopped immediately. After the initial attacks began on Friday, news reports began surfacing indicating that Israel had secretly built a drone base on Iranian soil that it used to launch its attacks. The operation was years in the making, one Israeli security official told the Jewish Chronicle, adding that weapons systems and soldiers had been smuggled into the country ahead of time. "Look at the ways Israel penetrated Iran for sabotage operations. Now look at the Chinese companies and assets permeating the US power grid (solar converters), local law enforcement (DJI drones), and social media (TikTok)," China policy expert Michael Sobolik wrote in a post on X. "The CCP is preparing to paralyze us in a crisis." The Real Implications Of The Chinese Fungus Smuggling Gabriel Noronha, president of Polaris National Security, also drew parallels between the China land grab in the United States and the recent Ukrainian drone strike that decimated a significant portion of Russia's air fleet. The attack reportedly involved drones smuggled into Russia and released near airfields. "After Ukraine's drone operation in Russia and Israel's operation in Iran, it is obvious that America's enemies will try to replicate that playbook on our soil," Noronha said. "It is increasingly dangerous to allow Chinese companies and individuals to own land - especially near our military bases and critical infrastructure. Left unchecked, we are opening our land to host clandestine Chinese military bases to launch all sorts of attacks and cripple our nation in wartime." Read On The Fox News App After Ukraine's Surprise Drone Assault On Russia, New Attention Drawn To Sensitive Sites Stateside Officials in the United States have been sounding the alarm for years now about China's efforts to purchase land near military bases, and other strategic assets that could help them sabotage the country. Just recently, the Arizona legislature passed a bill meant to block Chinese entities from obtaining more than a 30% stake in Arizona real estate, but it was vetoed by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs. According to the bill's sponsor, China had recently been trying to lease property near a major Air Force base in the state. Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats, warned Friday that if the United States does not get serious about interrupting China's asset grab, it risks losing a war with them. He said land grabs are just the "tip of the iceberg." "CCP land ownership is bad but it's tip of the iceberg," Lucci said. "Their industrial property holdings are worse, as is their port access. Perhaps worst of all is their deep penetration of critical infrastructure and govt systems." "I now understand the potential problem of the Chinese government owning land in America," added writer and podcast host Jamie article source: Israel's drone strikes in Iran show why US must halt China's land grab here: experts
