Vladimir Putin stripped of honorary taekwondo black belt over Ukraine invasion
India Today
Russia-Ukraine War News: Russian President Vladimir Putin has been stripped off his honorary taekwondo black belt over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On account of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been stripped off his honorary taekwondo black belt. The honorary black belt was conferred on Vladimir Putin in November 2013.
World Taekwondo, the international federation governing the sport of taekwondo, announced the decision in an official statement and said that it strongly condemns the "brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine" and hopes for an immediate end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The federation has decided not to organise or recognised Taekwondo events in Russia and Belarus. Additionally, Russian and Belarusian flags and anthems will not be displayed or played at World Taekwondo events, the federation said.
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"World Taekwondo strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the World Taekwondo vision of 'Peace is More Precious than Triumph' and the World Taekwondo values of respect and tolerance," the official statement said.
On Monday, the International Olympic Committee's executive board recommended that international sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and went on to launch strikes across the country. While Ukrainian forces have been defending their country against Russian troops, Western nations have announced a slew of economic sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
