Paris 2024: Russian Olympic champs Sadulaev, Uguev, Sidakov and Evloev not eligible

International Olympic Committee on 15 June announced the eligible Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) for the Paris 2024 with 16 wrestlers making the cut for the Games.

Out of the 16 approved wrestlers, 10 AINs are holders of Russian passports while six are holders of Belarussian passports. During the United Wo

According to the IOC, the number of eligible athletes may be lower than the number of earned quota places. In such cases, these quota places will be reallocated to athletes from other NOCs in accordance with the qualification system of the respective IF.

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Eligible and invited athletes with a Russian passport are Freestyle wrestlers Nachin Mongush (57 kg), Shamil Mamedov (65 kg), Arslan Bagaev (86 kg), Abdulla Kurbanov (125 kg), Greco-Roman style wrestlers Alan Ostaev (87 kg), Magomed Murtazaliev (97 kg), women wrestlers Natalya Malysheva (53 kg), Veronika Chumikova (57 kg), Alina Kasabieva (62 kg), Elizaveta Petliakova (68 kg).

Russian wrestlers had olympic licenses also in 74 kg and 97 kg of freestyle wrestling, 60 kg, 77 kg and 125 kg of Greco-Roman wre{:stling.

Russia has significant losses in freestyle wrestling. Double Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Tokyo 2020 champion Zaur Uguev, Tokyo 2020 champion and reigning world champion Zaurbek Sidakov, Olympic bronze medallist Artur Naifonov are not in the eligible list. In the 74 and 96 kg categories Russia will not have any representative, though Sidakov and Alikhan Zhabrailov had won licences.

While Russian Greco-Roman wrestlers had won 6 licences for Paris 2024, they will compete only in 87 and 97 kg categories. Sad

The president of the Russian Wrestling Federation Mikhail Mamiashvili said the list of the IOC is unclear and mockery.

“There are a lot of questions about the IOC list. It is not clear whether it is the final set. We don’t have full information yet. And the main question is that this IOC list does not include our leaders. I don’t know what they were guided by when making such a list. It’s a mockery,” Mamiashvili told Sport24.

The same is with Belorussian athletes. Only 6 wrestlers from 10 are legit to compete at the Olympics, and only Abubakar Khaslakhanau (Greco-Roman, 97 kg) had earned the spot through the qualifiers.