The Judo Federation of Tajikistan has suspended seven members of the national team from participating in domestic and international competitions for a period of four months. On July 29, the commission of the Judo Federation of Tajikistan announced that seven prominent judo athletes had been banned from all championships for four months. The decision was […]
The Judo Federation of Tajikistan has suspended seven members of the national team from participating in domestic and international competitions for a period of four months.
On July 29, the commission of the Judo Federation of Tajikistan announced that seven prominent judo athletes had been banned from all championships for four months.
The decision was reportedly made due to violations of professional discipline and the athletes’ failure to attend three training camps.
According to the Federation, Somon Mahmadbekov, Temur Rahimov, Obid Jebov, Abdulloi Orif, Umedjon Rajabov, Victoria Kiseleva, and Aleksandra Kan were disqualified.
The athletes ignored preparations conducted before international tournaments, including the Asian Games in Japan and the World Championship in Baku. The federation stated that the head coach and coaching staff had repeatedly invited the athletes and their trainers to centralized training camps, but neither the athletes nor their coaches responded to the federation’s requests. The athletes also showed disrespect towards other members of the national team and ignored the official training plan, the statement said.
The announcement emphasized that the decision to disqualify was made regardless of the athletes’ results, titles, and sporting achievements.
Among the disqualified athletes are some of the country’s most renowned judoists. Notably, Temur Rahimov and Somon Mahmadbekov are bronze medalists from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Other disqualified athletes also hold medals from world and Asian championships, Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix events, the Asian Games, and the Islamic Solidarity Games.
Currently, the athletes have not commented on the decision or their absence from training camps. However, the Judo Federation of Tajikistan’s ruling has sparked heated debates on social media.
In particular, Facebook user Ali Alizod criticized the decision, stating that while head coach Irakli Uznadze is an experienced specialist, the results of his work with the Turkish national team were not significant enough to justify such a drastic change.
According to Alizod, the head coach intends to impose a unified system on all renowned judoists before achieving significant success with the team. He wants them to abandon individual training and personal coaches.
Alizod believes that such an attitude towards athletes who have already earned Olympic and world medals could negatively impact the national team’s results. He pointed out that famous judo stars, including Teddy Riner and Shohei Ono, have trained under individual programs for many years, and this did not hinder their achievements.
He specifically highlighted that Somon Mahmadbekov, Temur Rahimov, Obid Jebov, and other judoists have reached high results in recent years precisely because of their individual training. He urged the leadership of the Judo Federation of Tajikistan to come to an agreement with the athletes and reinstate them in the national team. According to him, these athletes have represented Tajikistan at international championships in recent years and have managed to win valuable medals; without their participation, the national team’s results could be significantly worse.
The Judo Federation of Tajikistan is headed by Ismoil Mahmadzoir, the grandson of Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon.