Europe 1 with AFP 11:27 a.m., February 27, 2022
On the fourth day of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, the International Judo Federation (IJF) announced on Sunday the "suspension" of the status of honorary president and ambassador of Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president is indeed an accomplished judoka, and has one of the highest ranks in the discipline.
The International Judo Federation (IJF) announced on Sunday the "suspension" of the status of honorary president and ambassador of Vladimir Putin, in reaction to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
"Given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the International Judo Federation announces the suspension of Mr. Vladimir Putin's status as Honorary President and Ambassador of the Federation," the IJF wrote in a statement.
Repercussions of the war in the world of sport
An accomplished judoka – he is 8th dan, one of the highest grades in the discipline – the Russian president willingly displays his sporty character and has often promoted a healthy lifestyle.
His image notably contrasts sharply with that of his predecessor Boris Yeltsin, whose alcoholic escapades had toured the world in the 1990s.
Sunday, on the fourth day of the offensive launched in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin, the battle for control of Kiev continued in a context marked by a new accentuation of Western pressure on Moscow, via the exclusion of Russian banks from the interbank platform Swift and the expected delivery of additional weapons to Ukraine.
The crisis has also already had many repercussions in the world of professional sport, between displaced competitions, matches against Russia refused by national selections, Russian athletes declared persona non grata or sponsors called into question.