- June 19, 2024, 10:40 p.m.
Russian wrestler, Tokyo Olympic champion Zaurbek Sidakov, is very close to ending his wrestling career.
Zaurbek cannot compete at the Olympic Games in Paris. The IOC did not include the athlete on the list of athletes admitted to the Games. None of the team leaders were included in the list – neither two-time Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulayev, nor Olympic champion Zavur Uguev, nor Games medalist Artur Nayfonov.
“I want to go, but I wasn’t allowed. It’s not about me. I myself wouldn’t refuse, how can I give up my dream?” – Sidakov shared with Ossetia News.
Speaking about continuing his wrestling career, he said that he was already thinking about ending it.
“If the situation does not change, I don’t see any prospects,” Sidakov said.
At the same time, the athlete has not yet spoken in detail about his future plans. He noted that “there are thoughts” about trying himself in the UFC, but there are no specifics yet.
At the Olympics in Paris, Sidakov was supposed to compete in the weight category up to 74 kg. Several Ossetian wrestlers representing other countries compete in the same weight – Taimuraz Salkazanov, Khetag Tsabolov and Chermen Valiev. Sidakov noted that he would root for his fellow countrymen and hope that “someone will bring gold.” Sidakov himself does not plan to change his sports citizenship.