While the controversial decision of the international judo federation IJF caused a stir in Ulaanbaatar, Frank de Wit made a name for himself in the field of sport. The 26-year-old judoka won a bronze medal at the Grand Slam tournament in Mongolia’s capital.
The IJF allows Russian judoka to participate in international tournaments under the federation’s flag. When it became clear that the Russians would be in Ulaanbaatar, the Ukrainian team decided to withdraw.
The IJF then announced that if a judoka expressed solidarity with Ukraine and did not participate in Mongolia, all their countries would be immediately disqualified.
“Shocking news”
This announcement caused a lot of fuss, also for the Dutch national team. Especially since Ulaanbaatar is the first tournament to count in the qualifying series for the 2024 Olympic Games.
“It was shocking news,” says Gijs Ronnes, director of top sport at the Dutch Judo Association. “Judo players are under enormous pressure at the moment. They are cheating not only their careers, but the whole team. That makes it complicated for such an individual athlete.”
Ronnes plans to evaluate his willingness to perform at the IJF after the weekend. “We will act against this at the administrative level and call on the IFJ to end this measure. We are probably not the only country that wants to do this.”
Source: NOS
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