This weekend’s Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam marks the start of the Paris Olympic qualification period. In line with International Olympic Committee rules, the International Judo Federation have permitted Russian and Belarussian athletes to compete at the event under the neutral flag of the IJF.  

Having engaged with UK Sport and consulted the DCMS Guidance on Neutral Athletes, British Judo have travelled to Mongolia to compete at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam. British Judo would like to place on record that it does not morally agree with the situation we and our athletes find ourselves in at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam and the possibility that our athletes might have to compete against Russian or Belarussian athletes. However, in the best interests of the British Judo Performance Programme, and in light of the fact that this is a key event in the run up to the Olympics, it was decided that the team would have to attend the competition. All athletes were given the option to either opt-in or opt-out of competing with the full support of British Judo.

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