Russian and Belarusian gymnasts are to be fully reinstated in international competition following a decision by World Gymnastics to lift all restrictions that have been in place since February 2022.
The ruling was made at a meeting of the World Gymnastics Executive Committee in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, at the weekend. Athletes from both countries will now be free to compete under their national flags, display their national symbols and have their anthems played at medal ceremonies. The decision covers all disciplines under the world body, including artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampolining, acrobatics and aerobics.
The move was warmly welcomed by the Russian Gymnastics Federation, whose president Oleg Belozyorov described it as an important step towards protecting the interests of athletes and strengthening the unity of the global gymnastics community.
European Gymnastics confirmed it would hold a meeting before the end of the week to discuss how it will address the matter at continental level.
World Gymnastics is not the only federation to have updated its policies. World Archery voted on Friday to remove all participation restrictions on Belarusian athletes, while the International Volleyball Federation has also cleared Belarusian national teams to compete in all events under its umbrella, including beach volleyball across all age groups.
All three decisions follow guidance issued by the International Olympic Committee on 7 May, which recommended lifting the protective measures that were first introduced in response to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
