Why did the Russian wrestling team completely opt out of the Paris Olympics? Exploring the reason for the decision

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Jul 07, 2024 02:11 GMT

It is hidden from none that the Russian wrestlers were supposed to compete as neutral athletes at the Paris Olympics 2024 due to the sanctions imposed by IOC. However, in a unanimous decision which surprised many, the Russian wrestlers have decided to completely boycott the Paris Olympics 2024.

According to a statement released by the Russian Wrestling Federation:

"We do not accept the unsportsmanlike selection principle that guided the International Olympic Committee when forming the list of eligible athletes, the purpose of which is to undermine the principle of unity of our team."

Due to the ongoing clashes between Ukraine and Russia, many international organizations, including the International Olympic Committee, imposed sanctions on Russia. The same applied to the Russian wrestlers, who have always been a force to reckon with.

However, instead of imposing an outright ban like in the case of South Africa [due to apartheid], the IOC decided to let the athletes from Russia and Belorussia compete as neutral athletes, i.e. they would neither be allowed to display their flags, nor would their anthems be played at the Olympics.

So why did the Russian wrestlers decided to boycott the Paris Olympics? Despite the crippling sanctions, when it was made clear that Russian wrestlers would be allowed to compete, they performed their best, winning as many Olympic quotas as possible.

Yet, during mid June, the International Olympic Committee brought out a new list, that forbids many champion athletes from participating in their respective events at Paris.

The IOC approved a maximum of 10 Russian wrestlers, forbidding the rest from even making an attempt. The Russian Wrestling Federation also took note of this alleged bias as they mentioned:

"...However, the International Olympic Committee became an obstacle on the way of Abdulrashid Sadulaev to the third Olympic peak, did not give Zaurbaek Sidakov, Zaur Uguev, Musa Evloev, and other wrestlers of the Russian National Team the opportunity to compete, and the United World Wrestling lost the last chance that the Olympic Games are a competition of the strongest."

Russian wrestlers not the only ones to boycott Paris Olympics 2024

This would probably be the first time since 1984 that the Russian wrestlers would be giving the Olympics a miss. However, the Russian wrestlers are not the only ones boycotting Paris Olympics.

While the IOC atleast allowed 10 Russian wrestlers to participate, they did not extend the same courtesy to the Russian judokas. Only four out of the 17 qualified Russian judokas were allowed to participate as neutral athletes.

This left the Russian Judo Federation fuming, who announced that they won't participate under such 'humiliating conditions'.