Russian wrestler Alik Khadartsev was denied the right to change his sports citizenship to Uzbekistan

Russian freestyle wrestler Alik Khadartsev was denied the right to change his sports citizenship to Uzbek, RIA Novosti reports, citing the official website of the Sports Arbitration Court.

According to the information, the agency upheld the decision of the United World Fighting Organization to refuse Alik Khadartsev to change his sports citizenship to Uzbek. It is noted that the athlete received Uzbekistan citizenship on January 18, 2025, and on the same day, the Uzbekistan Wrestling Association submitted a request to replace a wrestler with sports citizenship.

However, on January 31, the organization rejected the application, citing a rule according to which any federation can allow no more than three men and women to change citizenship per year, taking into account all styles and age categories. It turned out that the Russian Sports Wrestling Federation had already exhausted its quota for 2025.

The athlete, in turn, did not agree with such a decision and sent an appeal, claiming that he had not competed for the Russian national team in international competitions for three years, therefore he had the right to change citizenship without considering this rule. The court stated that the quota rule applies regardless of the break, and after reviewing the arguments of the parties, the sole referee nevertheless made a decision not in favor of the wrestler.

Earlier, it was reported that Uzbekistan’s freestyle wrestlers finished the Asian Youth Championship in third place. The athletes won one gold, three silver, and five bronze medals.