Russian judoka fighting in Ukraine, Ukrainian athlete says

Russian judoka and 2019 World Judo Championships medalist Evgeniy Prokopchuk is participating in the war against Ukraine, Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych said in a Twitter post on Dec. 19.

Heraskevych included a photo of Prokopchuk in full combat gear holding a rifle.

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“Another 'neutral' athlete has joined the ranks – Evgeny Prokopchuk, a judo world championships medalist, now part of Russia's terrorist forces,” the Ukrainian athlete said.

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“Instead of embodying Olympic values, Russian athletes are agents of genocide, murder, and death. Russian athletes should be barred from international sports competition.”

Read also: IOC amends quotas for Russian, Belarusian athletes at Paris 2024 Olympics

This development comes as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics, with an updated quota on the number of athletes from both countries.

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