The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday recommended banning Russians and Belarusians from sports competitions, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the process, Russian President Vladimir Putin lost one of his greatest sports awards.
First of all, the IOC announced that they had withdrawn the Olympic Order from him. It is the highest distinction linked to Olympism and has three levels: bronze, silver and gold. Then, the world federation of taekwondo affirmed that he was no longer in possession of the black belt of the discipline!
The head of the Russian government received the ninth dan, the highest degree in oriental martial arts, in 2013 during a visit to Seoul in South Korea, where the headquarters of the taekwondo federation is located.
“World Taekwondo strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go once morest our vision: peace is more precious than victorious,” the union said in a statement.
The International Judo Federation had already suspended Putin on Sunday as honorary president and ambassador.
