Under fire, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been stripped of his honorary taekwondo black belt over his country's invasion of Ukraine. World Taekwondo cited its motto of "Peace is More Precious than Triumph" and condemned the Russian military action in Ukraine, saying the "brutal attacks on innocent lives" violated the sport's values of respect and tolerance. "In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to withdraw the honorary 9th dan black belt conferred to Mr Vladimir Putin in November 2013," the governing body said in an official statement.
"In solidarity with the International Olympic Committee, no Russian or Belarusian national flags or anthems will be displayed or played at World Taekwondo events. World Taekwondo and the European Taekwondo Union will not organise or recognise Taekwondo events in Russia and Belarus," the statement added. The decision comes after the International Judo Federation said on Sunday it would suspend Putin's status as honorary president and ambassador "in light of the ongoing war conflict in Ukraine".Other sporting organization such as FIFA and UEFA have suspended Russian national teams and clubs from competition.