MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. Two-time Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling, Russia’s Abdulrashid Sadulaev, was not allowed to participate in the qualification tournament for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the press service of the Russian Wrestling Federation said.

"After a yet another pseudo-check, the International Olympic Committee published new lists of athletes who were not allowed to participate in international tournaments. Regrettably, our team’s captain and two-time Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev was among them," the organization said.

The qualification tournament will take place in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku on April 5-7. Finalists will be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics.

"Alas, even if Sadulaev arrives in Baku, he will not be cleared for competitions due to the IOC’s ban. The United World Wrestling [international wrestling governing body] promptly made contact with us and gave us an opportunity to make a replacement promptly: Alikhan Zhabrailov will compete in Baku," Russian Wrestling Federation Mikhail Mamiashvili said.

Sadulaev, 27, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2016, 2020), a five-time World Champion (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021), Individual World Cup champion (2020), a four-time European Continental Champion (2014, 2018, 2019, 2020), the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix winner (2014, 2018, 2024), a two-time European Games Champion (2015, 2019) and a two-time Cadet World Champion (2012, 2013).

He was the Russian team’s flag-bearer during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. In February, he was denied entry to Romania, where he was to participate in the 2024 European Wrestling Championships.