First reported by The Washington Post and Radio Free Europe, Russian Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has put out a statement that in an act of “direct and open discrimination”, the United States is refusing to grant visas to Russian athletes for the 2018 Wrestling World Cup in Iowa City.
News of their withdrawal is substantiated by USA Wrestling offering an invitation to Mongolia and India as replacements.
The popular MMA twitter account “MMA TEAM DAGESTAN” has historically been reliable breaking news related to Russian mixed martial arts and combat sports.