Just over a month ago, the Russian national wrestling team had reason to be satisfied at the Istanbul World Qualifiers.
Competing with a neutral status, the Russian wrestlers achieved four Olympic spots in Turkey for the Paris Games starting in July. In total, Russian wrestlers received 16 Olympic places out of 18 possible through the qualification system.
At the weekend, however, the Russian star wrestlers and the country’s sports bosses received a blunt announcement. The panel of the International Olympic Committee, which investigated the backgrounds of Russian and Belarusian wrestlers, announced that only some of the Russian national team wrestlers would be admitted to the Paris Games.
With the most famous members of the Russian national team, such as the Olympic champions of freestyle wrestling Abdulrashid Sadulayev, With Zaurbek Sidakov or With Zaur Ugujev there is no business in Paris. The IOC’s three-person investigation team considered them to have publicly supported the war in Ukraine or to be connected to the Russian army or security services.
The best Russian wrestlers are gone
In wrestling, athletes acquire country spots for the Olympics. The IOC allowed ten Russian wrestlers to Paris, of which only four have achieved an Olympic place for Russia.
Female wrestlers from Russia will make it to Paris Natalya Malysheva, Veronika Chumikova, Alina Kasabiyeva and Yelizaveta Petlyakova. Freestyle wrestlers were qualified for the men’s category Natsyn Monguš, Shamil Mamedov, Arslan Bagayev, Abdulla Kurbanov and Greco-Roman style wrestlers Magomed Murtazaliyev and Alan Ostayev.
– If you think about Greco-Roman wrestling, none of Russia’s best wrestlers have made it to the approved list, coach of the Finnish youth national wrestling team Jarkko Ala-Huikku says.
According to Ala-Huiku, the decision of the IOC panel has a noticeable effect on the Olympic pressure in Paris.
– In Greco-Roman, potential Olympic medalists are missing, but in freestyle wrestling, Russia is missing three reigning Olympic winners. It is a severe humiliation for the Russians.
The wrestling boss got annoyed, Russia can boycott
Chairman of the Russian Wrestling Federation Mikhail Mamiashvili has criticized the International Olympic Committee in strong words even before the weekend decision.
Read more: The Russian sports boss’s interview with ended absurdly – he first praised Finland, when the camera turned off the tone changed completely
The fact that the strongest stars of the national wrestling team were left out of the five ring games would irritate the sports boss deeply. Known as a solid supporter of the Russian rulers Mamiashvili commented to the Russian media that the goal of the IOC was to smoke the best Russians out of the Games.
– The absence of Russia’s leading wrestlers at the Olympics gives others a good chance of success. That’s exactly what the IOC is aiming for, he claimed.
The IOC’s decision may lead to no Russian wrestlers being seen in Paris at all. Mamiashvili has said that the Russian Wrestling Federation will decide by Thursday whether it will allow any of its athletes to the Olympics.
Who will get the vacant Olympic places?
Whether Russia participates or not, in any case, a certain number of Olympic spots won by Russians will be freed up in wrestling. Ala-Huiku does not yet have information on what basis these places will be allocated to athletes from other countries.
Vacant places will most likely not go to Finns. Finland has two places in Greco-Roman wrestling for the Paris Olympics. Jonni Sarkkinen compete in the 77-kilogram, Arvi Savolainen In the 97 kg category.
– If you think about the last qualifiers or the World Championships, the Finns from the other series were not close enough to the Olympic place. I don’t see that a Finnish wrestler could get the remaining place from the Russian.
The new participant lists mean additional work for Finnish coaching, which analyzes Sarkkinen’s and Savolainen’s possible Olympic opponents. The coaches are watching with great interest whether any wrestlers from Russia will go to Paris at all and who will get the vacated Olympic spots.
– Otherwise, this does not affect the Finnish team’s preparation. The situation with the Russians has been lived so much in recent years that we have become accustomed to constant changes.
All taekwondo outside
Urheilu previously reported on the taekwondo Olympic champion About Vladislav Larin, who reached the Olympic place in Paris in the spring. Larin’s achievement aroused strong reactions among Ukrainians, as the Russian taekwondo player has, among other things, raised funds with a campaign video for the Russian army fighting in Ukraine.
At the weekend, however, it became clear that Larin or the other Russians who have cleared the Olympic qualifiers will not be allowed to participate in the Paris Games.
– According to my understanding, we cannot comment on the decision or complain about it. We also cannot choose other athletes to replace those who have been rejected. None of our athletes will compete in Paris, the head coach of the Russian Taekwondo Federation Vadim Ivanov said Sport Express by.