Russian wrestler Sadulayev was not allowed to participate in the Olympics in Paris because of his support for the war
He is one of those mentioned by Ukrainian footballers in a letter to the French president calling for the Russians to be banned from the Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has excluded Russian wrestling captain Abdulrashid Sadulayev from the Olympic qualifiers in Baku for the Paris Olympics, according to the website of the United World of Wrestling (UWW).
The reason for Sadulayev's exclusion was his support for Russia in the war against Ukraine, as well as his membership in the Dynamo sports club.
Sadulayev was born in Dagestan. He is a member of a sports team at the North Caucasus District Directorate of the Russian Guard. He has been promoted to the rank of junior sergeant.
"Sadulayev was found to be ineligible after the commission received new information about his support for the Russian-Ukrainian war and that he is an official member of the Dynamo sports society," the statement said.
"Dynamo is affiliated with Russian security agencies, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Security Service.
Sadulayev, 27, nicknamed the "Russian tank," was the flag bearer for the Russian team at the closing ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In February 2024, Sadulayev was denied entry to Romania on a Schengen visa, and was unable to take part in the European Championships.
In March 2022, after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sadulayev took part in a rally-concert in Luzhniki dedicated to the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea.
He was also mentioned in a letter from Ukrainian footballers to French President Emmanuel Macron, in which the athletes called for the prevention of Russians who support Russia's military aggression against Ukraine from participating in the Olympics.
A letter with a similar message was sent to IOC President Thomas Bach by the heads of the NOCs and wrestling federations of Ukraine. Their message also mentioned Sadulayev.
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