---
title: "\"No reaction from our functionaries\": Zantaraia criticizes the return of Russians to sport and accuses the NOC of inaction"
description: "Judo World Champion Georgy Zantaraia harshly criticized the return of Russian athletes to the international stage and accused Ukrainian sports functionaries of inaction, citing the example of a disqualified athlete who was admitted to the IOC."
date: 2026-09-16T07:46:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zantaraia-criticizes-return-of-russians-to-sport-noc-inaction
tags: [judo, ukraine-sport, russia-athletes-ban, ioc, nok-ukraine, georgy-zantaraia, world-athletics]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "No reaction from our functionaries": Zantaraia criticizes the return of Russians to sport and accuses the NOC of inaction

![David Zantaria speaks at a press conference criticizing the Ukrainian NOC](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/16/zantaraia-kritika-vozvrashchenie-rossiyan-v-sport-bezdeystvie-funktsionerov/zantaraia-kritika-vozvrashchenie-rossiyan-v-sport-bezdeystvie-funktsionerov-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Georgy Zantaraia accused Ukrainian sports functionaries of failing to react to the admission of Russian athletes to the IOC
- A specific example was cited: an athlete disqualified for staying in Donetsk has reappeared in IOC structures
- Zantaraia recalled his four-year experience on the Ukrainian NOC Athletes' Commission and the documented results of that work
- The former champion stated that he lacks the authority to make official appeals and shifted responsibility onto the current heads of the federations
- World Athletics previously confirmed the continued ban on Russians and Belarusians, which contrasts with the situation in other sports

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.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [We are doing everything to prevent this: Zantaraia harshly criticizes the return of Russians to sport](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/othersport/robimo-vse-shchob-tsogo-stalos-zantaraya-1789544565.html) - Прямые цитаты Зантараи подтверждены. Конкретный случай с атлеткой в МОК основан на свидетельстве самого Зантараи без указания имени спортсменки. Информация о бане World Athletics приведена как ранее сообщённый факт без ссылки на первоисточник в данном материале.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who is Georgy Zantaraia and why is his opinion significant in the sports context?
**A:** Georgy Zantaraia is a World and European Judo Champion and President of the Kyiv Judo Federation. He headed the Athletes' Commission of the Ukrainian NOC for four years, where he dealt with the issue of preventing Russian athletes from participating in international competitions.

### Q: What specific case did Zantaraia cite as an example of inaction?
**A:** Zantaraia mentioned a Russian athlete who had previously been disqualified for staying on the occupied territory in Donetsk. According to him, this same athlete subsequently appeared in the structures of the International Olympic Committee, while Ukrainian functionaries did not react.

### Q: Why does Zantaraia not file official complaints with the IOC?
**A:** Zantaraia explained that he currently does not have the corresponding authority within the Ukrainian NOC or international sports structures, so he is forced to comment on the situation publicly but cannot send official appeals.

### Q: What is known about the status of Russian sport in World Athletics?
**A:** According to previously published information, World Athletics confirmed the continued ban on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions under the federation's auspices.