2023 Senior World Championships

Sidakov, Sadulaev, & More Ruled Eligible For World Championships As Of Now

Sidakov, Sadulaev, & More Ruled Eligible For World Championships As Of Now

UWW has announced that Russia will be allowed to bring all of their #1s to the World Championships.

Sep 12, 2023 by JD Rader
Sidakov, Sadulaev, & More Ruled Eligible For World Championships As Of Now

United World Wrestling has announced that while it's still subject to change, as of right now, Russia will be bringing all of their #1s to the World Championships. This includes Olympic champions Zaurbek Sidakov and Abdulrashid Sadulaev. Read the full press release below.

United World Wrestling - Olympic champions Abdulrashid SADULAEV, Zaurbek SIDAKOV and Zavur UGUEV headline the Independent Neutral Athlete’s (AIN) team for the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24.

Each AIN athlete went through a rigorous vetting process by United World Wrestling in preparation for the Senior World Championships.

In total, 235 individuals from Russia and Belarus underwent thorough background and social media checks. This encompassed wrestlers across all styles and categories, as well as their accompanying support personnel. Out of the 235 names, 26 individuals were deemed ineligible due to either active support of the ongoing war or confirmed membership in military or national security agencies.

The decisions regarding eligibility were made by a panel, relying on comprehensive vetting reports provided by an independent and private intelligence service provider.

All athletes from Russia or Belarus will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes, without any flags or references to their respective countries. Additionally, the national anthems of Russia and Belarus will not be played in the event of medals being awarded to these athletes.

Please note: United World Wrestling will continue monitoring the AIN athletes. This is an ongoing process and any new information regarding their eligibility is subject to change.

Russia's Independent Neutral Athlete’s (AIN) team:

57kg - Zavur UGUEV

61kg - Abasgadzhi MAGOMEDOV

65kg - Shamil MAMEDOV

70kg - Evgenii ZHERBAEV

74kg - Zaurbek SIDAKOV

79kg - Akhmed USMANOV

86kg - Arslan BAGAEV

92kg - Magomed KURBANOV / Vladislav VALIEV

97kg - Abdulrashid SADULAEV

125kg - Abdulla KURBANOV