Russia withdraws from European Boxing Championship in Croatia citing lack of national flag

Detailed summary

The decision was also prompted by problems concerning the issuance of entry visas to members of the Russian delegation

MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. The Russian Boxing Federation (RBF) has decided to withdraw from the 2026 European Boxing Championship in Croatia’s Porec later this month over the presumed position of the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and Sport regarding the participation of the Russian national team, the RBF’s press office said in a statement on Friday.

According to the RBF, the move was also prompted by problems concerning the issuance of entry visas to members of the Russian delegation.

"We have repeatedly stated our firm position that there will be no participation in international tournaments without the Russian national flag and anthem," the statement quoted RBF Secretary General Alexander Besputin as saying.

"It is very regrettable that for Croatian officials, politics has once again prevailed over sports. It is even more disappointing that this short-sighted decision has impacted junior athletes, who are just starting their sports careers, but even more so, it has harmed boxing fans, primarily those in Croatia, since the current World and European champions were supposed to be part of our team for the championship," he continued.

"First and foremost, the officials thus penalized Croatian fans by depriving them of the opportunity to see the rising stars of world boxing," Besputin noted.

"At the same time, I would like to thank the executive management of World Boxing and European Boxing for their constructive stance. We are in constant dialogue and have a shared understanding of our position. Our cooperation gives us hope that in the future, situations like the one with the European championship will be avoided," he added.

The Croatian city of Porec is set to host the U23 European Boxing Championships on November 14-25.

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