The Russian Wrestling Federation announced on Saturday that its wrestlers eligible to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games have refused to travel to Paris, citing “unfounded restrictions.” They called the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) eligibility criteria “discriminatory” and “non-sporting.”

This decision follows the exclusion of many Russian wrestlers by the IOC in response to their open support for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

However, among the Russian wrestlers invited by the IOC to participate in the Games, some were still known supporters of the war:

❌ Alina Kasabieva: Qualified on April 6, 2024. She liked several posts supporting Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, including one dated February 24, 2022.

❌ Natalia Malysheva: Qualified on April 6, 2024. She liked an Instagram post by a close associate of Vladimir Putin following the Moscow bombing, subtly blaming Ukraine and framing the attack as a response to “Russia’s support for Donbas.”

❌ Alan Ostaev: A Russian wrestler who participated in a militarist propaganda tournament.

❌ Arslan Bagaev: A Russian wrestler photographed alongside Russian soldiers during a tournament in January 2024.

The decision by Russian wrestlers to boycott the Paris 2024 Games comes as no surprise. We had repeatedly alerted the IOC about Russian athletes who openly supported the war of aggression in Ukraine. Subsequently, the IOC decided to ban some of them.

For us, this decision is a victory. The Olympic Games must remain an event of peace and sportsmanship, free from any form of support for acts of aggression. By excluding athletes who supported the war, the IOC has taken an important step in preserving the Olympic spirit.

The non-participation of Russian wrestlers in the Paris 2024 Games is a fair and necessary decision. We will continue to ensure that as long as Russian bombs rain down on Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes will have no place in the Paris Olympic Games. We will not allow Russia to turn #Paris2024 into the Games of Blood.

#BloodGames2024