Wrestling-Russia's Sadulaev ruled ineligible to compete in Olympic qualifiers

(Reuters) – The two-time Olympic champion from Russia, Abdulrashid Sadulaev, has been disqualified from participating in the European OG Qualifiers in Baku by United World Wrestling (UWW) after new information emerged regarding his support for the Ukraine-Russia war.

The governing body of the sport stated that the 27-year-old, who had previously won gold at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, did not meet the eligibility criteria established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for Individual Neutral Athletes.

Tensions between Russia and the IOC have escalated ahead of the Paris Olympics, set to begin on July 26, where Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as neutrals without their national flags and anthems, and will be excluded from the opening ceremony due to the conflict in Ukraine.

“Sadulaev was deemed ineligible by the panel following the discovery of new information regarding his support of the Ukraine-Russia war…,” UWW stated in a release.

“The decisions on eligibility were determined by a panel, based on thorough vetting reports provided by an independent and private intelligence service provider.”

Alikhan Zhabrailov will take the place of Sadulaev at the event in Baku, the third continental Olympic qualifiers scheduled to take place from April 5-7, where 36 spots will be up for grabs.

“It is important to note that it was the IOC’s decision to rule Sadulaev ineligible; on the contrary, UWW made every effort to have Sadulaev participate in the tournament,” stated Mikhail Mamiashvili, President of the Russian Wrestling Federation.

“Currently, all Russian wrestlers have a clear objective – to secure spots at the Olympic Games based on athletic merit. Subsequently, we will weigh the options and decide whether to attend the Paris Games.”

(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)