Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine last week has been widely condemned by the international community.
Governments in the West have imposed an unprecedented number of sanctions on Russia following the ongoing attacks. And now, even World Taekwondo has responded to the conflict, stripping Putin of his black belt, CBS News reports.
World Taekwondo, the international governing body of the sport, said in a statement on Monday, February 28, that Russia's attack on its neighbor, a former Soviet state, goes against the group's vision of "Peace is more precious than triumph," in addition to the values of respect and tolerance.
"In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to withdraw the honorary 9th dan black belt conferred to Mr. Vladimir Putin in November 2013," the governing body said.
Putin is one of multiple people who have been awarded the honorary belt. Other 9th dan black belt holders include Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and former US President Barack Obama.
World Taekwondo also announced that Russian flags and anthems will not feature at their events. This also applies to those of Belarus, an ally of Russia.
The organization went on to say that no taekwondo events will be organized or recognized in either country for the foreseeable future.
"World Taekwondo's thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and we hope for a peaceful and immediate end to this war," the organization said.
Over the weekend, Putin was also suspended as the honorary president and ambassador of the International Judo Federation. Putin is a judo black belt and even co-wrote a book titled, "Judo: History, Theory, Practice."
The sports industry as a whole has been vocal in recent days about its opposition where Putin's war on Ukraine is concerned.
On Monday, February 28, FIFA and UEFA suspended all of Russia's national teams and clubs from international soccer games.
UEFA, which is the governing body for soccer in Europe, also announced that it and one of its main sponsors, Gazprom, would be going their separate ways. Gazprom is a Russian majority state-owned energy company.
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