The French men’s freestyle wrestling squad for the European Junior Championship under 23 will be composed entirely of athletes born in Chechnya. This detail comes from the organization’s official portal.
In the lineup, Adam Bibulatov competes at 61 kg, Khamzat Arsamerzuev at 65 kg, Muhammad-Amin Sangariyev at 70 kg, Magomed Deliev at 74 kg, Rakhim Magomadov at 86 kg, and Adlan Viskhanov at 92 kg. They have all entered the application for France to participate in the event.
The European Championship is scheduled to run from March 13 to 19 in Bucharest, Romania.
Since the start of last year, wrestlers from Russia have largely been absent from international competitions, with several athletes choosing to represent other nations instead.
On January 25, the International Olympic Committee signaled the possibility of allowing Russian athletes who do not support the ongoing actions in Ukraine to compete in international events in a neutral status.
On February 10, reports indicated that a group of 35 countries, including the United States, Germany, and Australia, agreed in an online conference to press for the suspension of participation by Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Earlier discussions touched on the potential return of the Russian hockey team to the international stage.