Putin Stripped Of Taekwondo Black Belt

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been stripped of his honorary Taekwondo black belt for mounting an attack against Ukraine. The announcement was made by World Taekwondo on Twitter.

"World Taekwondo strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the World Taekwondo vision of "Peace is More Precious than Triumph" and the World Taekwondo values of respect and tolerance," the sport's governing body said in a statement posted on Twitter.

"In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to withdraw the honorary 9th dan black belt conferred to Mr. Vladimir Putin in November 2013," it added.

In further tightening of sanctions, World Taekwondo said that it will not organise or recognise Taekwondo events in Russia and Belarus.