"This makes it possible to return": the WT allowed the Russians to perform at the Taekwondo World Cup in a neutral status

After the appearance of the IOC recommendations on the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions in neutral status, more and more species declare their admission. This path has already been followed in boxing, fencing, table tennis and others. Next in line was taekwondo. On April 3, the Executive Committee of the World Taekwondo Federation (WT) held an emergency meeting at which it determined the fate of domestic athletes.

Athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports will be able to perform at the World Championships in Baku. The corresponding permission was also received by the support staff: coaches and members of the national teams. At the same time, the verdict on participation in other tournaments under the auspices of the organization will be made after the championship of the planet.

To determine which fighters have the right to come to Azerbaijan and which do not, a special committee will be created that will check them for compliance with the recommendations of the IOC.

"The verification process will take place in 3 stages: verification at the level of the national association and the continental union, then individual confirmation of athletes and accompanying personnel, and the final assessment and approval by the supervisory committee.
The participation of any athletes in neutral status in individual competitions held under the auspices of the World Taekwondo Federation will be carried out in accordance with clear principles and instructions established by the IOC Executive Committee," the WT said in a statement on its official website.

At the same time, the Executive Committee confirmed the calls for peace, expressed solidarity with the Olympic community of Ukraine and stressed that it would continue to support athletes from this country and promote their participation in competitions.

In turn, the Taekwondo Union of Russia confirmed that WT was guided by the recommendations of the IOC Executive Committee when making its decision. At the same time, the national team of the country admitted that they do not yet fully know all the requirements imposed on domestic athletes by both the international federation and the IOC. However, head coach Vadim Ivanov in any case called the incident a positive event.

"This gives athletes the opportunity to return to the international arena. And we, the coaches, understand how competitive our team is today. Because we haven't been performing for more than a year, and during that time the rules of the competition have changed six times. Therefore, it is very important for us to understand how much we are now ready to solve high tasks as part of our training, "R-Sport quotes the words of the specialist.

Perhaps most of the questions are raised by the point of the International Olympic Committee that neutral athletes from Russia should not be associated with the armed forces. At the same time, many of them in the country are historically members of CSKA. A similar situation has developed in taekwondo.

"They have an agreement that they are CSKA athletes-instructors. That is, among the Olympians who won medals, no one signed contracts with the armed forces. Yes, we have several athletes, European champions and prize-winners of continental championships who have such contracts," Ivanov said.

He also suggested that the requirements would not contain a clause on the mandatory condemnation of the SVO and called it beyond the boundaries of common sense.

According to him, while at the World Cup, the domestic team is going to perform in full. The roster will include eight women and men. The intrigue lies in how opponents from Europe and North America will react to the team's return. The specialist admitted that he did not expect condemnation.

"President of our federation Anatoly Terekhov and I flew to Saudi Arabia for the Grand Prix final in December. We did not feel a negative reaction from the coaches and members of the WT board. That is, absolutely normal communication, the same as before all the events, "Ivanov emphasized.

The decision to admit Russians even in a neutral status in taekwondo can be called expected, because in recent years the country has become one of the leading in the world in this sport. For example, at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the team won the most medals in total (four) and gold (two). In the category up to 80 kg, Maxim Khramtsov won, and over 80 kg - Vladislav Larin.

She successfully performed at the world championship two years earlier, when in terms of the number of awards (four) she was second only to South Korea (seven), China (seven) and Brazil (five).

It is not surprising that WT President Cho Jong Won in February did not rule out the return of Russians to international competitions under the auspices of the organization, starting in April. At the same time, Ivanov stressed that the national team was preparing for the World Cup in Baku, hoping for admission.

In Russia, the decision of the WT Executive Committee was treated with cautious optimism. For example, the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev welcomed him. At the same time, he expressed the hope that in taekwondo, unlike other types, the return of domestic athletes will not lead to a wave of boycotts by foreign rivals.

"Ukrainian, Polish federations, opposing the participation of Russians and Belarusians, like fencers, punish only their athletes, coaches and fans. Guys who are not to blame for anything. They worked just like ours. Various boycotts are unacceptable in modern sports. International federations and the IOC should pay attention to this. It's time to fight boycotts," Sport24 quoted Svishchev as saying.

He also recalled that for Russians, the dream remains to perform under the flag of their native country, and not in a neutral status. And his colleague, the Olympic champion in speed skating Svetlana Zhurova, even suggested that not all athletes would agree to such conditions.

"Previously, we would have taken it as good news, and now I don't even know how to react. Yes, there is already some progress, but a number of species are still not allowed to do anything. I doubt whether we will be able to accept such proposals, "Sport-Express quotes the words of the deputy.