The top Russian judoka is changing citizenship because his “ambition left no other option”.
Russian Mahmadbek Mahmadbekovwho is currently 11th on the judo world list in the category under 73 kg, has announced on his own Instagram account that he will change his citizenship to the United Arab Emirates.
– It’s time to make a decision that will change my life. The decision was not easy, but my dreams leave me no options. Mentally, the last summer has been the longest and most difficult of my life. I can’t sacrifice everything I’ve always dreamed of (Olympic gold) and worked for it for nine years – ever since I was 15, the judoka writes.
The 24-year-old Mahmadbekov would have wanted and could have competed without a national symbol at the Paris Olympics, but the Russian Judo Federation announced that none of its judokas would participate in the event, because only four of the country’s twelve athletes (Mahmadbekov was one of them) met the additional requirements set by the IOC for the sport’s major event.
Mahmadbekov was considered to be a “black sheep” in judo in Russia, because he expressed his desire to participate in the Olympics, and thus did not show solidarity with the other, denied members of the national team.
Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov joins the United Arab Emirates national judo team, whose long-term goal is set for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Makhmadbekov is by no means the only athlete of Russian origin in the UAE national judo team.
At the Paris Olympics, the Asian country received six athletes, three of whom were of Russian origin (Magomedomar Magomedomarov +100 kg, Dzhafar Kostoev -100 kg and Aram Grigorian -90 kg), two ex-Mongolian (Narmandakh Bayanmunkh – 66 kg and Khorloodoi Bishrelt -52 kg) and one of Georgian background (Nugzari Tatalashvili – 81 kg).
The only one from the high-class UAE judo group who even reached the points at the Paris Olympics was Grigorian, who finished seventh in the men’s under 90 kg category.