(NewsGlobal.com)- Amidst a slew of sanctions being placed on Russian businesses, banks, and oligarchs, perhaps one thing we didn’t expect to see in the wake of his decision to invade Russia was the World Taekwondo association condemning the Russian president and taking back the honorary Black Belt given to him in 2013.
World Taekwondo will also no longer display either the Russian or the Belarusian flags or play their national anthems at events in the future – a reaction to Belarus’ decision to assist the Russian military in launching the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
In a tweet, the association said that they strongly condemn the “brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the World Taekwondo vision of ‘Peace is More Precious than Triumph.’”
The association also said that the actions go against their values of respect and tolerance.
https://twitter.com/worldtaekwondo/status/1498239203779432449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1498239203779432449%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Fsports%2F2022%2F03%2F01%2Fputin-stripped-taekwondo-black-belt-after-brutal-attacks-ukraine%2F
In the statement that their tweet linked to, they said that they chose to ban the playing of the Belarusian and Russian national anthems or flags “in solidarity with the International Olympic Committee.”
It comes after the International Judo Federation also removed Putin as the honorary president of their organization on Sunday, citing the war in Ukraine.
Putin’s suspensions might not mean much in the long run, but combined with the increasingly severe sanctions and most major Western brands stopping trading with Russia, this substantial pressure may ultimately force Putin to withdraw and reconsider his decision.
We’ll see…
