Russian karate referee Alexander Maniaraki has been removed from the World Youth Championship in Poland after Polish police checked his documents. He claims he was banned from entering the Schengen area for a year and that his Greek visa was revoked.
The World Youth Championship was held in Bielsko-Biala between October 14 and 18. Maniaraki was the only Russian referee at the tournament. According to his account, he arrived on a Schengen visa issued by Greece, traveling from Moscow through Turkey, Greece and Austria, and from Vienna he continued by bus.
After arriving, the judge registered for the competition, attended lectures and took exams. According to him, the police initially checked his documents and released him. Later, officers again asked to see his documents as he was leaving a lecture.
“They told me that my visa was a tourist visa, but I was at a sports facility and I should have a sports visa“, Maniaraki told “RBK Sport“.
He claims that he was then taken to a police station, where he stayed for six hours and was questioned about his route of entry and exit from the country. After his release, he was ordered to leave Poland within eight days.
The next day, Maniaraki returned to take his final exam, but was not allowed in. He said the head judge warned him that he could be arrested if he remained at the sports venue.
“They didn't let me finish the exam, they banned me from visiting the sports venues, and the results weren't announced and my documents weren't returned,“ the Russian judge said.
The case is linked to a wider problem surrounding the participation of Russian representatives in the tournament. The Russian Karate Federation said that 21 Russian competitors were not allowed to register and participate. According to the federation, they entered the country with visas from other countries after failing to obtain Polish visas, and were subsequently deported from Poland.
Russian karatekas are currently allowed to participate in tournaments under the auspices of the World Karate Federation in a neutral status. There is no published information on the position of the Polish authorities on Maniaraki's story.