To appreciate Judo’s influence on Putin, look no further than the company he keeps. Arkady Rotenberg, who leads a bank and construction company, SMP, which has made billions from Russian ...

In this pool photo taken on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, attends a training session with the Russian national judo team at the Yug-Sport Training Center in ...

Putin and Abe's last meeting in Japan culminated with a judo exhibition at the renowned Kodokan Judo Institute in downtown Tokyo, though both men were only there as visitors not participants.

AP Photo/ITAR-TASS, Sergei Zhukov, Presidential Press Service, FileIn this Dec. 24, 2005 file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a master class at a judo school in St. Petersburg. On ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and a Russian businessman have been removed from all positions in the International Judo Federation (IJF), the sport’s governing body said, in the latest spor… ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a training session with the national judo team in Sochi, Russia, Feb. 14. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev/TASS ...

Vladimir Putin was one thrilled Russian president on Thursday. The longtime judo enthusiast had a VIP seat to watch Tagir Khaibulaev win the 100-kilogram gold medal. When the match ended, Putin ...

Putin, a lifelong judo enthusiast, lost his status as “honorary president and ambassador” for the International Judo Federation and his “honorary 9th dan black belt” from World Taekwondo, ...

Mr. Putin, 69 years old, has credited judo with getting him off Russia’s streets as a young man and teaching him discipline. He has even suited up in the past to spar with Russia’s national team.

Judo has always been more than a sport for Putin. As he told NPR in 2001: "I think it's also a philosophy in a way, and I think it's a philosophy that teaches one to treat one's partner with respect.

The International Judo Federation removed Vladimir Putin and Arkady Rotenberg, an oligarch with a longtime connection to the Russian president, from “all positions” in the organization.