{"id":2982,"date":"2025-12-05T11:06:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T12:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/?p=2982"},"modified":"2025-12-05T13:46:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:46:09","slug":"russian-athletes-cleared-to-compete-under-national-flag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/05\/russian-athletes-cleared-to-compete-under-national-flag\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian athletes cleared to compete under national flag"},"content":{"rendered":"
The International Sambo Federation has restored Russian and Belarusian teams\u2019 rights<\/strong><\/p>\n The International Sambo Federation (FIAS) has cleared Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags and anthems, starting from January 1, the Russian Sambo Federation said on Thursday. The move reverses a decision that had been criticized as being politically motivated.\u00a0<\/p>\n The FIAS suspended events in Russia and Belarus after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022. Athletes from the two countries were also banned from competing internationally until April 2023, when they were allowed to return under the federation\u2019s flag.<\/p>\n Commenting on the latest decision to restore full rights to the athletes, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov thanked the FIAS for upholding sporting values, while Russian Sambo Federation President Sergey Eliseev welcomed the move as a key step toward restoring fairness and supporting the sport\u2019s development.<\/p>\n Sambo is a combat sport combining judo, boxing, and wrestling, originating in the Soviet Union and now practiced worldwide.<\/p>\n In a similar move, the International Judo Federation (IJF) last month reinstated the right of Russian athletes to compete under national flag, with anthem and insignia. In April, the World Kickboxing Federation and the International Federation of Bodybuilding did the same. In September, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) allowed Russian disabled athletes to participate under the nation\u2019s flag.<\/p>\n