Wrestling star Abdulrashid Sadulaev barred from competing in Paris Olympic Qualifiers

Two-time Olympic wrestling champion from Russia, Abdulrashid Sadulaev has been deemed ineligible to participate in Olympic qualifiers owing to his support of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

It is worth mentioning that Sadulaev is a two-time Olympic champion in wrestling. He won the gold medal in the 2016 Olympics in the 86kg event and followed it up with another gold in Tokyo 2021. The Russian wrestler missed out on last year’s World Championships because of an injury.

For the unversed, the International Olympic Committee suspended Russia from the 2024 Games last year.

Thus, Sadulaev was hoping to participate in the event as a neutral athlete in the 97kg event, however, the wrestler has now been declared ineligible by the United World Wrestling. As per the report, new information was found that hinted at his support for the Ukraine-Russia war.

“Sadulaev has been ruled out of the European OG Qualifiers in Baku after he failed to meet the eligibility criteria set by the International Olympic Committee for Individual Neutral Athletes,” UWW said in a statement.

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“Each individual neutral athlete goes through a rigorous vetting process”- UWW

As per the report, the UWW eligibility panel found out that the Russian wrestler was still an official member of Dynamo Moscow, a sports club that is linked to the Russian leadership.

UWW asserted that the governing body strongly looks into whether the concerned wrestler meets all the criteria set by the ICO to be eligible to participate as a neutral athlete.

“Each Individual Neutral Athlete goes through a rigorous vetting process by UWW in preparation for any tournament and is examined based on the criteria set by the IOC which rules thorough background and social media checks of individuals from Russia and Belarus,” the UWW added.

All the Russian and Belarusian athletes, who have managed to secure an Olympic quota, will undergo a vetting process by the International Olympic Committee.

To participate in the Paris Games 2024, the candidate should not be supporting the Ukraine-Russia war in Ukraine. Besides, he or she should not be associated with any military or security agency.