Prominent Russian karateka Gasparyan exposed in support of war against Ukraine.

Russian karateka Eduard Gasparyan, who has the status of a 'neutral' athlete and can participate in international competitions, expressed support for the war against Ukraine. This was reported by the resource Base of Ukrainian Sports.

'Gasparyan should be suspended from all international tournaments,' the Base of Ukrainian Sports statement said.

It is noted that in May of this year, Gasparyan posted a photo of himself in military uniform with Russian military symbolism - the so-called 'St. George ribbon' on his Instagram page. This symbol has long been a sign of Russian aggression against Ukraine and is prohibited legislatively in several countries, including Ukraine. The use of this symbol is also prohibited by the International Olympic Committee for neutral athletes.

Gasparyan is a karate champion of Russia and winner of international tournaments. He is also a member of the Russian national karate team.

Another Russian karateka, Ernest Sharafutdinov, and his coach Mykola Balabanov also illegally visited the Crimea annexed by Russia. They were in Crimea for training before the European Championship.

Tragedy in Kyiv

As a result of a missile strike on Kyiv, ten-year-old karateka Maxim Simanyuk, his mother, and sister were killed. They were in their home during the Russian attack. Coach of the deceased boy, Volodymyr Boyev, wrote on his Instagram story: 'There is not enough hatred. Revenge will be eternal.'

It should be recalled that Ukrainian karatekas demonstrated a high level of skill at the stage of the A Series in Austria, winning two gold and one bronze medals. Results of Ukrainian athletes:

• Gnat Pak became the champion in the weight category up to 67 kg, defeating an Irish athlete with a score of 1:0.
• Rizvan Talibov won in the weight category over 84 kg, defeating a Czech opponent with a score of 4:1.
• Oleg Pashchenko won bronze in the weight category up to 75 kg, defeating a neutral athlete with a score of 2:1.