Gymnasts from Russia and Belarus could return to international competition as neutral athletes starting Jan. 1, 2024, if conditions are met.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced Wednesday that it could lift its ban on gymnasts from those countries.
The FIG, along with most international sports federations, banned athletes from Russia and Belarus shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 with the aid of Belarus as a staging ground.
The FIG repeated Wednesday that it condemns Russia’s invasion, supports the victims of the war and remains committed to impose “severe punishments” to anyone in international gymnastics who is involved in or supports war.
Other sports federations lifted bans in recent months, allowing athletes to compete in a neutral capacity without representing Russia and Belarus officially per IOC recommendations.
The FIG is following that model, issuing what it called “strict conditions” for “individual neutral athletes without any involvement or association with the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, their respective National Federations or National Olympic Committees.”
Athletes must apply for reinstatement and face several to-be-announced measures to ensure “strict compliance with the neutrality requirements,” according to the FIG.
“By accepting Russian and Belarusian gymnasts to participate in competitions as independent neutral athletes, the FIG is ensuring that the rights of all athletes are respected and is sending a message to the world that gymnastics is seeking peace,” FIG President Morinari Watanabe said in a press release.
If athletes return in early 2024, they could qualify for the Paris Olympics. The FIG said that a decision on Olympic eligibility for athletes from Russia and Belarus “is the responsibility of the IOC.”
The ban on gymnasts from Russia and Belarus already extended through a deadline to qualify for the artistic gymnastics team events.
In Tokyo, Russia’s men and women, competing as the Russian Olympic Committee rather than Russia due to the nation’s doping violations, won both Olympic team titles.
Gymnasts can still qualify for individual Olympic spots.