Fights

“If athletes left during the SVO, it is not very patriotic” – Soloveichik on those who changed their sports citizenship

Published

1 year ago

September 1, 2024

Annie

“If athletes left during the SVO, it is not very patriotic” – Soloveichik on those who changed their sports citizenship

Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov / Photo: © Dmitry Chelyapin / Match TV

The President of the Russian Judo Federation, Sergei Soloveichik, stated that his organization creates such conditions for athletes that there is no point in changing their sports citizenship, and those who did this during the SVO are acting unpatriotically.

On Saturday, Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov, who previously represented Russia at competitions, announced on social media that he would now compete for the UAE. He accompanied the message with a photo of his profile on the International Judo Federation website. The sports citizenship column there lists the UAE.

— Dagestani wrestlers feel good competing for different countries.

— It is very important to know when they left. If they left before the start of the special military operation, then there was some kind of consent from the federation. But if they left during the SVO, in my opinion, this is not very patriotic and may not help them in their future careers.

Our federation creates such conditions for our athletes that there is probably no point in leaving. That is my opinion. I would not go, – the Match TV correspondent quotes Soloveichik as saying.

The 24-year-old athlete received an invitation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to participate in the Paris Olympics as a neutral. On July 3, the IOC press service reported that Makhmadbekov had accepted the offer to compete in the Games. Soloveichik then announced that Makhmadbekov had refused to participate in the Olympics.

Makhmadbekov won Grand Slam tournaments and became a prize winner at the European Youth Championship (for athletes under 23 years of age).

“Makhmadbekov was hasty. Maybe he will come to his senses.” The head of the FDR – on the decision of the judoka to change his sports citizenship

Source: Sportbox

Annie

I am Annie Mcadams, a news author at Sportish. I specialize in covering different sections of sports and have been writing for the past five years. My passion lies in uncovering new stories that are informative, interesting and captivating to the audience. I have a knack for finding the right sources who can provide reliable insight on trending topics.

Fights

Usik, Ronaldo, Iniesta, Khabib Nurmagomedov will come to Dubai on December 29

Published

4 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Madelyn

Usik, Ronaldo, Iniesta, Khabib Nurmagomedov will come to Dubai on December 29

World heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg), Ukrainian Alexander Usik He will attend the World Sports Summit to be held in Dubai (UAE) between 29-30 December.

According to the organizers, the boxer will act as a speaker and guest on the theme “Warrior-poet: in the mind of Alexander Usik.”

Usik’s speech will be moderated by renowned speaker Nick Santonastasso, who has worked with the Ukrainian on several occasions: “I am grateful for the opportunity. I look forward to the chance to reveal all the treasures of a boxing legend.”

Many important names will attend the summit: football players Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero, Andres Iniesta, former world champions Manny Pacquiao (boxing) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (UFC), tennis player Novak Djokovic.

Usik last appeared in the ring in July 2025, when he knocked out British boxer Daniel Dubois in the fifth round. Next year, the Ukrainian representative is expected to meet with former world champion American Deontay Wilder.

Check out this post on Instagram

Additions, expansions World Sports Summit (@worldsportssummit)

Source: Sport UA

Madelyn

I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.

Fights

Dembele is ranked fifth and Usyk is ranked 14th. The best athlete of 2025 in Europe has been announced

Published

5 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Madelyn

Dembele is ranked fifth and Usyk is ranked 14th. The best athlete of 2025 in Europe has been announced

Multiple world record holder, two-time Olympic champion in pole vault, Swede Armand Duplantis He was chosen as the best athlete of 2025 in Europe.

In the survey participated by 23 news sources across the continent, Duplantis received 184 points, ahead of Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, Roland Garros and US Open champion and Slovenian cyclist who qualified for the 2010 Turkish Gentlemen’s Show.

World heavyweight champion Ukrainian boxer Alexander Usik He took 14th place, shared with Norwegian biathlete Johannes Boe.

At least 62 athletes (20 women and 42 men) from 22 sports, representing 24 countries, scored in the survey. The most representatives in the ranking are from Norway (9), followed by Spain (6), France (5), the Netherlands, Italy and the United Kingdom (4 each).

Among the sports, football is the most representative (10), followed by athletics (8), basketball (8), tennis (5) and swimming (5).

Rating of the best athletes of Europe 2025:

Armand Duplantis (Sweden/athletics) – 184 points
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain/tennis) – 143
Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia/cycling) – 134
Femke Bol (Netherlands/athletics) – 76
Ousmane Dembele (France/football) – 70
Lando Norris (Great Britain/Formula 1) – 68
Jannik Sinner (Italy/tennis) – 57
Arina Sabalenka (Belarus/tennis) – 56
Marco Odermatt (Switzerland/alpine skiing) – 45
Johannes Kläbo (Norway/cross-country skiing) – 29
Leon Marchand (France/swimming) – 27
Marc Marquez (Spain/MotoGP) – 25
Iga Swiatek (Poland/tennis) – 19
Johannes Boe (Norway/biathlon), Alexander Usik (Ukraine/boxing) – 16 each

Source: Sport UA

Madelyn

Fights

Wilder made a bold statement ahead of his title fight with Usyk

Published

6 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Madelyn

Wilder made a bold statement ahead of his title fight with Usyk

Former world heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg), American Deontay Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) shared his expectations for the upcoming fight against WBC, WBA and IBF titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs).

“You know my next opponent. Usyk challenged me to a fight. He said he wanted to meet me in the ring. I accepted the challenge. “I push horses” and “I feel it, I feel it hard.”

What’s my plan? Be smart, be faster, use my agility, be tough, get in the ring and knock him out. I am known for my strength, I need to show it. “I’ve been through a tough journey in my life, but I’m back and ready to beat Usyk,” Wilder said.

The American had 49 fights in the professional ring and won 44 victories (43 of them ahead of schedule). In June, Wilder knocked out his compatriot Tyrell Herndon, ending his two defeats in 2023 and 2024.

Usyk last appeared in the ring in July, when he stopped Briton Daniel Dubois. The Ukrainian became the absolute world champion but lost a title by refusing to defend his WBO belt in October.

Source: Sport UA

Madelyn