Russian athletes to compete under national flag at judo events starting this weekend

By Canadian Press on November 27, 2025.

The International Judo Federation (IJF) has decided to “reinstate full national representation” of Russian athletes at its competitions starting this weekend, it said on Thursday.

The IJF executive committee voted to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag, with their anthem and insignia in place, beginning with the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam from Nov. 28–30.

“This decision reaffirms the IJF’s role as a truly global federation and reinforces its commitment to fair, transparent and values-driven governance,” the federation said.

The Russian Olympic Committee has been suspended since 2023 by the International Olympic Committee, for breaking the Olympic charter by using an administrative land grab to incorporate regional sports bodies in occupied eastern Ukraine.

Russians will be allowed to compete at next year’s Milan-Cortina Winter Games but the IOC will maintain the system it used at the 2024 Paris Games, permitting them to compete only as individual neutral athletes.

The IJF had previously reinstated full national representation for Belarusian athletes, it said.

Belarus has allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and later allowed the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear missiles.

The IJF added that it now considers “appropriate to allow the participation of Russian athletes under equal conditions,” emphasizing that the sport “cannot allow itself to become a platform for geopolitical agendas.”

“Historically, Russia has been a leading nation in world judo, and their full return is expected to enrich competition at all levels while upholding the IJF’s principles of fairness, inclusivity and respect,” it added.

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Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press