Just four days before the 2026 European Championships, the favorites list has been thrown into chaos. The reigning world and European champion in the under‑100kg division, Matvey Kanikovskiy, ranked fifth globally, has suddenly disappeared from the International Judo Federation’s rankings with no explanation.

Kanikovskiy’s recent run makes the mystery even deeper. His podium finishes at the 2024 European Championships, the 2024 Tokyo Grand Slam, and the 2025 Tashkent Grand Slam had him on track for another title. Instead, his sudden absence has become one of the most surprising twists.

According to the International Testing Agency, Kanikovskiy has been provisionally suspended and listed under the ADRV section. The 24-year-old Russian athlete tested positive after a test on March 15, 2026, after he violated the IJF’s anti-doping code. While not many details are available regarding Kanikovskiy’s future, Inside the Games.biz reports that the 24-year-old violated a particular section of the code.

“The violation cited falls under Articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the anti-doping code, specifically the presence of SARMS LGD-4033 (Ligandrol) and its metabolite,” reads the report.

For the unversed, Ligandrol is a “selective androgen receptor modulator” that mimics the activity of testosterone in the body. Not only that, it binds to proteins in the human body, giving it muscle-building effects, which makes it illegal to use in the United States. Both the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have also banned it.

This brought déjà vu for judo fans when Russia’s 2025 world champion Danil Lavrentev suddenly disappeared from the rankings in March. The timing felt uncanny, especially as he missed several Grand Slam events before quietly returning to the standings on April 1. His comeback hinted that he had been cleared of any alleged violation, though the reason behind his brief absence remains a mystery.

Even without the world number one, Russia isn’t losing its grip on the men’s 100kg scene. The team still features 2023 world champion Arman Adamian, and they head into the European Championships with momentum and belief. Georgia, Azerbaijan, and France will keep them on their toes, but the Russians remain one of the favorites to dominate the medal table.

Still, the Russian was also one of the favorites for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but due to restrictions on Russian athletes, he didn’t participate. And with the 2026 European Championships around the corner, Matvey Kanikovskiy was the favorite for the gold again as he would enter the tournament as one of the most consistent performers on the world judo stage.

He ranked world No. 5 after impressive performances at the 2024 and 2025 Grand Slams in Tokyo and Tashkent, respectively, finishing as a finalist in Tokyo and winning in Tashkent.

However, with the ITA having reported and listed Kanikovskiy’s violation, there are no other details beyond that and no report detailing the situation or the potential timeline for his ban and/or suspension. The same goes for the IFJ, but that doesn’t come as a major shock given their history.

No statement from the IJF on Matvey Kanikovskiy continues the trend

The International Judo Federation usually stays quiet about anti-doping cases, suspensions, and bans. This approach goes back to its founding in 1951 and continues today. It’s not just about Kanikovskiy’s recent provisional suspension. Even in 2025, when Dutch judokas Noël van ’t End, Frank de Wit, and Michael Korrel were suspended with their cases dating back to 2022, the IJF did not release any statement.

The Dutch Judo Federation broke the news instead by issuing a statement rather than the sport’s international governing body. The same goes for Georgia’s Luka Maisuradze in 2024, who had tested positive in April 2023. While there was no official statement, reports indicate that the IJF privately confirmed his suspension without listing it on their site.

Abdul-Malik Umayev is another example: the IJF suspended him for whereabouts failures until May 2025, but it issued no statement or public release on the matter. This does, however, follow the statement the IJF posted on its “Clean Judo” page.

“The list below contains only the cases for which the IJF is the Results Management Authority. For national cases please consult the relevant national anti-doping agencies,” reads the statement.

Thus, they do list a few athletes, but only those for whom they have results management authority, including Elvismar Rodriguez’s suspension for whereabouts failure, Beka Gviniashvili’s four-year ban, and Rafael Augusto Buzacarini’s provisional suspension, among others. It means that a lack of statement for Matvey Kanikovskiy’s provisional suspension means that the IJF likely doesn’t have results management authority and have thus left it up to the relevant authorities.

However, for Russia, Matvey Kanikovskiy’s absence ahead of the European Championships is a serious blow, but he has since been replaced by teammate Niiaz Bilalov.