International Judo Federation sack Vladimir Putin as Honorary President and Ambassador amidst Russia-Ukraine crisis

The current crisis in Europe has taken the world by storm. It has gone on to impact the sporting world as well. The state of war has forced several organizations to take some bold decisions against the Russians. As a matter of fact, some football clubs have terminated the sponsorship deals with Russian firms, with the future of people like Roman Abramovich (Chelsea’s owner) and Nikita Mazepin (Haas F1 driver) has also been put under the scanner. Now, the International Judo Federation have also taken a massive step by axing Mr. Vladimir Putin from the position of Honorary President and Ambassador of IJF. The federation released an official statement for the same.

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“In light of the ongoing war conflict in Ukraine, the International Judo Federation announces the suspension of Mr. Vladimir Putin’s status as Honorary President and Ambassador of the International Judo Federation,” read the official statement of the federation. It is to be noted that the Russian president is an established judoka

Putin has been a recipient of the eighth dan in 2014, which is considered to be one of the highest levels in the sport. Putin has been serving as the honorary president of IJF since 2008. Eight years ago, IJF president Marius Vizer had called him "the perfect ambassador for Judo".

However, Russia and Putin's action on Ukraine haven't sat well with the federation and thus, they ended their association with him. A few days earlier, IJF had announced the cancellation of the Judo 2022 Grand Slam. It was initially scheduled to happen in Kazan, Russia on May 20-22.

“We, the sports community, must remain united and strong, to support each other and our universal values, in order to always promote peace and friendship, harmony and unity,” they had said in an official statement.