Ukraine to Boycott World Judo Championships Over Belarus Inclusion
The Ukrainian national team will not compete in the 2025 World Judo Championships due to the decision of the International Judo Federation (IJF) to allow the Belarusian team to compete in the competition using state symbols.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to the press service of the Ukrainian Judo Federation.
"On 16 May 2025, the official website of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus published information about the decision of the Executive Committee of the International Judo Federation (IJF), according to which, starting from 1 June 2025, Belarusian athletes will be allowed to participate in all international competitions under national symbols.
In response, the Ukrainian Judo Federation officially appealed to the International Judo Federation to confirm or refute this information, and also stressed the importance of complying with the current recommendations of the International Olympic Committee regarding the participation of athletes from aggressor countries in international competitions.
On 23 May 2025, the Ukrainian Judo Federation received an official response from the IJF confirming the decision of the Executive Committee. In particular, it was emphasised that "the IJF is committed to ensuring that sport serves as a platform for dialogue, unity and understanding - building bridges, not walls.
In this regard, guided by Order No. 4435 of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine dated 26 July 2023, the Ukrainian Judo Federation is forced to decide not to send an official delegation of the Ukrainian national judo team to the World Championships, which will take place from 13 to 19 June 2025 in Budapest (Hungary).
The Ukrainian Judo Federation strongly condemns the decision of the International Judo Federation and considers it to be contrary to the basic principles of fairness, responsibility and solidarity in the global sports movement. We are convinced that the participation of athletes from aggressor countries under national symbols is not only political blindness, but also contempt for the victims of war and international law. We will continue to consistently defend a position based on moral values, freedom and the dignity of the Ukrainian people," the Ukrainian Judo Federation said in a statement.
Ukraine will boycott the world judo championship for the second time. In 2023, our team did not compete due to the admission of Russian and Belarusian judokas to the competition under neutral status.