The Russian Olympic champion refused to compete without the flag and anthem.

Russia's first-ever Olympic taekwondo champion, Maxim Khramtsov, announced in an interview with TASS that he will no longer compete as a neutral.

"If we're talking about competing as a neutral at international competitions, I'm not ready for it. I've been there before, I know what it's like. I was at the Paris qualifying round as a neutral. I see the Europeans' attitude toward us—it's precisely as if we were neutral," Khramtsov said.

He said it was important for him to compete under the Russian flag. "In neutral status, I feel like an individual athlete, representing not the country, but myself. For me, the primary motivation has always been the fact that the whole country is watching me—that's what's important," the athlete added.

In June 2024 , the IOC did not grant him neutral status to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris, despite the fact that the athlete had been selected on a sporting basis.

Khramtsov became the first Russian taekwondo athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. He achieved this feat at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic).covid-19 ).

In the 80 kg weight class final, Khramtsov confidently won, bringing RUSSIA a historic gold medal in taekwondo. Prior to him, Russian athletes had only won silver and bronze medals in this sport.