British Judo Statement – Ukraine

The British Judo Association (BJA) remains stunned and deeply saddened by the shocking events unfolding in Ukraine and stands with the sporting community in condemning Russia’s actions.

We support the International Judo Federation’s (IJF) decisions to remove Vladimir Putin as Honorary President, the cancellation of events which were due to take place in Russia and their pledge of $200,000 to support Ukrainian judoka, together with the negotiations with the Russian and Belarussian Federations who have withdrawn judoka and officials  from all IJF and EJU events  until further notice.

We also respect the decision made by the European Judo Federation’s (EJU) President, Sergey Soloveychik  and Enzo Gamba EJU General Secretary to step down from their  positions.

The BJA will continue to adhere to the IJF/EJU regulations. In addition the association has written to the Ukrainian Judo Federation and offered to host the squad providing accommodation and allowing them to train at our National Training Centre.

The staff of BJA are collecting for the Ukrainian effort and we would encourage you to do the same.  Below are some links of reputable charities if you and your club would like to help.

HTTPS://www.warchild.org.uk/home

HTTPS://time.com/6151353/how-to-help-Ukraine-people/

We will continue to monitor the situation and firmly uphold our commitment in promoting peace and international solidarity, we are #JudoUnited