Legendary French athlete Teddy Riner, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, had won his ninth individual world title in Qatar's capital after Tasoev was controversially denied a point during the golden score period.

The IJF has effectively acknowledged Russian athlete Tasoev, permitted to compete as a neutral despite the war in Ukraine, should have won the final and decided to award gold medals to both judokas.

"Following a thorough expert analysis, according to the current refereeing rules, a score could have been awarded for Inal Tasoev’s counterattack," the IJF said.

"Therefore, the International Judo Federation declares both athletes as the winners of the contest and award a gold medal and the corresponding ranking points to Inal Tasoev."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, a black belt in judo who was Honorary President of the IJF before being removed from the position last year after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, welcomed the decision.

"I watched," Putin said on a visit to a new Martial Artis Academy at the Sirius Science and Art Park near Sochi, as reported by Russian state-run news agency TASS.

"To be honest, I was disappointed [with the initial decision] - how could it be.

"This will raise the prestige of the International Federation, because it means that everything is fair with them.

"And this is extremely important in sports."

Putin had congratulated the other Russian athlete who took gold at the World Championships - Arman Adamian in the men's under-100kg - for his success last month.

Russian and Belarusian athletes' presence at the World Judo Championships had proved controversial, prompting a boycott from Ukraine.

Tasoev had been among the most disputed of the entrants from Russia and Belarus, having previously won a gold medal at the Military World Games.

The IJF said independent background checks had been conducted on athletes to ensure no public support for the war, with eight support staff denied participation having failed this process.

It was initially one of the few International Federations who permitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, contrary to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommendations at the time.

However, the IJF introduced an outright ban in September last year which ran through to January 2023 after Russia pulled out of the World Championships in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent.

The lifting of this ban preceded updated IOC recommendations in March which cleared the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international sport as neutrals, provided they do not support the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated to the military.

IJF President Marius Vizer claimed at the World Championships in Doha its stance protected "the life of people on both sides" by keeping athletes from Russia and Belarus away from the war.

Critics have argued returning athletes from both countries would be used for political purposes by their respective regimes, while the IOC's recommended conditions - which it claims represent a "middle ground" - have been branded "unfair" in Russia and Belarus.