Wrestling body explains why it let Russian champions compete at world champs despite pro-war rally
Zaurbek Sidakov of Russia, left, and Kyle Douglas Dake of the US compete in their men's freestyle 74 kg wrestling final match during the Wrestling World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Darko Vojinovic]
GENEVA (AP) — Three Olympic champions from Russia were cleared to compete at the wrestling world championships this week because they were judged to have been pressured to appear at a pro-war rally in Moscow last year. United World Wrestling has explained why Zaurbek Sidakov, Zaur Uguev and Abdulrashid Sadulaev passed vetting to compete as neutral athletes in Serbia. Each won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and were among athletes paraded at a pro-war rally three weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine. Wrestling’s governing body says its vetting panel concluded it wasn’t their choice to take part.
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