Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, many countries, companies, and associations have implemented sanctions and restrictions on Russia.
The latest of these entities appears to be World Taekwondo (WT) — the international federation governing the sport.
On Monday (28 Feb), WT announced that it will be withdrawing the honorary black belt that it had conferred to Mr Putin in Nov 2013.
This comes after the International Judo Federation’s announcement on Sunday (27 Feb) that it would revoke Mr Putin’s status as an ambassador and honorary president over the “ongoing war conflict in Ukraine”, as cited from The Straits Times (ST).
On 28 Feb, WT made an official announcement on their website and Facebook page.
The governing body started by saying it “strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine”.
It highlighted how the attack on Ukraine went against their vision of “Peace is More Precious than Triumph” and violated the values of respect and tolerance.
In light of this, WT has decided to revoke the honorary 9th dan black belt conferred to Mr Putin in 2013.
WT also said in the statement that it will neither display any Russian or Belarusian flags nor play the respective anthems at events.
Additionally, WT, as well as the European Taekwondo Union, will not hold or recognise Taekwondo events in both countries.
The withdrawal of the belt comes just days after the International Judo Federation suspended Putin as its honorary president.
Having authored a book about Judo, it’s likely that the sport holds a special place in the Russian leader’s heart.
While the world enacts sanctions and restrictions, the ultimate path to peace lies in the hands of the parties involved in the conflict.
As the invasion approaches its 1-week mark, we hope tensions are easing and that bloodshed will cease accordingly.
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Featured image adapted by Twitter.
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