Georgy Zantaraia, President of the Kyiv Judo Federation and World and European Champion, delivered a sharp critique of international sports bodies that are allowing Russian athletes onto the international stage, and also accused domestic sports functionaries of passivity. According to the former champion, the situation surrounding the return of athletes from the aggressor country is unfolding "very strangely," and the lack of an official reaction from Ukrainian representatives in sports organizations is deeply disturbing.
The case of the disqualified athlete: from Donetsk to the IOC podium
As a key example, Zantaraia cited a specific episode: a photo of a Russian athlete recently became publicly available. This athlete had previously been disqualified for supporting the occupation — specifically, for staying on the occupied territories in Donetsk. Yet, according to Zantaraia, today this same athlete "is standing in the International Olympic Committee," meaning she has effectively been granted access to international processes. "A very strange story is unfolding around the fact that today they are being returned," he emphasized, adding that no reaction from Ukrainian sports functionaries followed this fact.
Four years on the Ukrainian NOC Athletes' Commission: what was achieved
Zantaraia recalled his four-year experience as head of the Athletes' Commission of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. During this period, he said, the team "did a lot to prevent Russians" from participating in international competitions, and all the results of this work were documented. The former champion emphasizes that systematic work to block the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes was carried out at the level of specific appeals, monitoring, and recording of violations; however, after he left the position, in his assessment, this mechanism effectively came to a halt.
"I would make statements, but I have no authority": the legitimacy problem
In response to a question about why he does not issue official appeals to the IOC or the relevant federations, Zantaraia acknowledged that he himself would be ready to prepare and send the corresponding documents. However, at present he does not have the necessary authority within the Ukrainian NOC or international sports structures, which forces him to "observe the situation from the sidelines." In his view, this creates a vacuum that must be filled by the current officials.
Responsibility lies with the heads of the relevant federations
Zantaraia directly shifted responsibility for the current problems onto the heads of the sports federations and Ukrainian sports functionaries. In his belief, it is precisely they who are obliged to "work through every case" of the admission of Russian athletes, prepare official protests, and coordinate actions at the international level. In his assessment, inaction undermines years of work on isolating Russian sport and sets a precedent for the further "whitewashing" of athletes from the Russian Federation.
Context: World Athletics confirms the ban on Russians and Belarusians
Against the backdrop of Zantaraia's statements, it had previously been reported that World Athletics confirmed the ongoing ban on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions under the federation's auspices. Thus, in athletics the position remains firm, whereas in a number of other sports, including judo and a range of Olympic disciplines, Ukrainian functionaries report a trend toward the gradual easing of restrictions and the de facto admission of Russian athletes on various formal grounds. Zantaraia called on Ukraine to respond to such attempts "firmly," not allowing the normalization of the position of the aggressor country's athletes on the international stage.
