According to JudoInside, the appointment of Irakli Uznadze as head coach of the Tajik national team has triggered significant unrest within Tajik judo, culminating in the reported suspension of seven national team athletes just weeks before the World Championships.
The Tajik Judo Federation has announced the four-month suspension of seven national team athletes, including three World Championship medallists, in a decision that could have a major impact on the country's ambitions at this year's World Championships and Asian Games. The suspended athletes are Somon Makhmadbekov, Obid Dzhebov, Temur Rakhimov, Umejon Radjabov, Orif Abdulloi, Victoria Kiseleva and Aleksandra Kan.
Uznadze, who previously led both the Georgian and Turkish national teams, was officially appointed on 5 June, replacing long-serving national coach Fotekh Makhmadbekov. The latter, who is also head coach at Judo Club Mori in Irkutsk, Russia, apparently declined to continue working alongside Uznadze within the national team structure, JudoInside reports.
One of the first consequences of the coaching change was Tajikistan's absence from the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam, as Uznadze opted to assess the national squad before resuming international competition.
According to reports, the Tajik Judo Federation has imposed four-month suspensions on seven athletes for failing to attend national training camps, refusing to follow the national team's preparation programme and failing to respond to requests from the coaching staff.
Among the suspended athletes are some of Tajikistan's biggest stars, including Obid Dzhebov, the 2025 World bronze medallist who famously defeated Hifumi Abe on his way to the podium and claimed an Asian silver medal earlier this year in the -66kg category.
Also suspended are Paris Olympic bronze medallist Somon Makhmadbekov (pictured above), winner of the 2026 Dushanbe Grand Slam and this year's Asian Championships silver medallist, and Temur Rakhimov, bronze medallist at both the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the 2025 World Championships in the +100kg division.
If the suspensions remain in place, all seven athletes are expected to miss both the World Championships and the Asian Games later this year, dealing a major blow to one of Asia's strongest emerging judo nations.
Interestingly, current world No. 1 Muhiddin Asadulloev (-73kg) and world No. 2 Nurali Emomali (-66kg) are not in the list of suspended athletes.
The coaching reshuffle in Tajikistan follows another high-profile change in the region. In Russia, former World Champion Vitaly Makarov stepped down as national coach in May for personal reasons after succeeding the legendary Ezio Gamba. Dmitri Morozov has since taken over the Russian
