World Gymnastics defends lifting the ban on Russia and Belarus: return under flags opens a new sporting controversy
The International Gymnastics Federation, which operates under the name World Gymnastics, defended the decision to lift all restrictions on Russian and Belarusian gymnasts after its Executive Committee enabled their full return to international competitions under national flags and with national anthems. The decision was made at the Executive Committee meeting held on 16 and 17 May 2026 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and according to the federation's official announcement it took effect immediately. This ended the special ad hoc rules introduced after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
According to the explanation reported by Inside the Games, World Gymnastics defended the decision after criticism by invoking the principle of equal treatment of athletes. In doing so, the federation went a step further than the more cautious approach of the International Olympic Committee, which in recent years had allowed only limited participation by individual Russian and Belarusian athletes in neutral status, without national symbols and with additional vetting conditions. The latest move in gymnastics is therefore not just a technical change of rules, but an important political and sporting signal at a time when international sport is increasingly divided over how to treat athletes from Russia and Belarus while the war in Ukraine continues.
What exactly is changing for Russian and Belarusian gymnasts
According to the official World Gymnastics news item on the Executive Committee decisions for May 2026, all restrictions that had applied to Russian and Belarusian athletes since February 2022 have been lifted. This means that athletes from those countries no longer have to compete as authorised neutral athletes, do not have to go through a special neutral status solely because of their nationality and can once again use national symbols in competitions under the auspices of the world federation. According to reports by specialised gymnastics media, the end of the ad hoc rules also means the return of usual leotards, flags and anthems at competitions where Russian or Belarusian representatives win medals.
The decision applies to the disciplines under the authority of World Gymnastics, including artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, acrobatics and aerobics. This formally puts athletes from Russia and Belarus on an equal footing with other competitors in the world federation system, provided that they meet the usual rules on entry, licensing, anti-doping and competition eligibility. Until now, Russian and Belarusian gymnasts had been able to return gradually and in a limited way, mostly through neutral status that excluded national flags, colours, symbols and anthems.
That regime was introduced after international sports organisations reacted in 2022 to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in which Belarus had the role of a key Russian ally and territory from which, according to international reports, Russian forces launched part of their operations. In the first phase, many federations completely excluded Russian and Belarusian athletes, and then some of them opened the way for the return of individuals under strict neutral conditions. Gymnastics is now among the sports that have opted for the full restoration of the right to compete.
The federation cites equality, while critics warn of the wider context of the war
According to Inside the Games, after announcing the decision World Gymnastics highlighted the argument of equal treatment as the central justification. Such reasoning fits into the broader debate that has been taking place within the Olympic movement since 2022: should athletes be punished for the actions of their states, or must international sport retain special restrictions when state symbols can serve a political message. Supporters of a return argue that individual athletes should have the right to compete if they meet sporting and anti-doping requirements, while opponents warn that the return of flags and anthems in wartime circumstances crosses the boundary of individual sporting rights.
The criticism is especially strong because the new decision does not only allow individuals to compete, but also restores full national identity. In the neutral model applied by numerous federations in recent years, athletes' participation was separated from the state: without flag, anthem, national colours and team representative symbols. The return of those features changes the symbolic level of competition, especially in a sport in which medal ceremonies, national flags and anthems are an important part of the public presentation of success.
The Ukrainian perspective in that debate remains important. The Kyiv Independent states that the war has severely affected Ukrainian sport, including athletes, coaches and sports infrastructure. For that reason, Ukrainian officials and some sports organisations have for years warned that the return of Russian athletes under national symbols can be used for propaganda purposes. On the other hand, Russian sports organisations present decisions to lift bans as a return to the principles of sporting unity and non-discrimination.
How the ban was introduced after the 2022 invasion
World Gymnastics announced additional measures against Russia and Belarus in March 2022, after earlier decisions related to the war in Europe. Those measures were part of the wider reaction of international sport to the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The International Olympic Committee then recommended that international federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials to participate in international competitions, and where participation could not be avoided, to allow it only in a neutral form, without state symbols, flags, colours and anthems.
In gymnastics, this meant the interruption of the regular participation of athletes from the two countries in competitions under the auspices of the world federation. A system of authorised neutral athletes, known as AIN, was later created, in which candidates had to meet additional conditions. That system was supposed to exclude those who actively support the war or are connected to military and security structures, while at the same time opening the possibility of participation to athletes considered neutral. Still, that model was the subject of constant debate because verifying neutrality is often complex, especially in countries where elite sport is traditionally linked to state structures.
Cases from previous years further burdened the debate. Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak was sanctioned in 2022 after he wore the "Z" symbol on the podium, a symbol associated with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Such events strengthened the arguments of those who believe that international federations must have stricter control mechanisms, not only over the formal status of athletes but also over the political messages sent at competitions.
Divergence from the Olympic approach
The World Gymnastics decision comes at a time when the International Olympic Committee is gradually easing some measures, but maintaining a distinction between Russia and Belarus. According to an ABC News report, on 7 May 2026 the IOC lifted the recommendation of restrictions for Belarusian athletes, including teams, thereby opening the way for their participation under national symbols in the systems of international federations. At the same time, a more cautious approach was maintained for Russia, among other things because of the status of the Russian Olympic Committee and issues related to Ukraine's territorial integrity.
The Russian Olympic Committee was suspended in October 2023 after it recognised regional sports organisations from the areas of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which are under Russian occupation or partial occupation. The IOC then assessed that this violated the Olympic Charter and undermined the territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. According to the same report, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said that there is no set deadline for Russia for a possible decision on a full return to international sport.
That is why the World Gymnastics move is especially significant. While the IOC had already signalled easing for Belarus and kept additional reservations for Russia, the world gymnastics federation decided to lift restrictions for both countries at the same time. This opened the question of how far international federations are prepared to follow Olympic recommendations, and how far they will make their own decisions based on their own rules, political assessments and pressures within individual sports.
The Russian federation welcomed the decision
The Russian Gymnastics Federation welcomed the World Gymnastics decision as a full restoration of Russian athletes' rights. According to Gymnastics Now and Inside the Games, Russian Gymnastics Federation President Oleg Belozerov said the decision restores to Russian athletes the opportunity to compete under the national flag and with the national anthem. In the same statement, he thanked World Gymnastics President Morinari Watanabe, emphasising his, as he put it, consistent position and support for the principles of open international sport.
Such a reaction was expected because Russia has traditionally been one of the most successful sporting nations in gymnastics. Before the sanctions were introduced, Russian gymnasts regularly won medals at world championships and Olympic Games, especially in artistic and rhythmic gymnastics. The return under national symbols therefore carries both competitive and political weight: for Russian sport it represents an important step toward normalisation, while for some opponents of such a decision it represents a premature easing without a clear change in the circumstances that led to the ban.
The sporting importance of the return was also shown by the results of neutral athletes in the previous period. Gymnastics Now states that Angelina Melnikova, competing as a neutral athlete, won three medals at the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, including gold in the all-around and vault and silver on the uneven bars. In trampoline, neutral athletes won a total of ten medals in 2025, four of them gold. This shows that the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes will not only affect protocol and symbols, but also the balance of power in the fight for medals.
Gymnastics is not the only sport easing measures
World Gymnastics is not alone in easing restrictions. According to international media reports, World Aquatics had already allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to return under national insignia, while other federations also began adapting to new recommendations and the political climate in the Olympic movement. Inside the Games states that World Archery and the International Volleyball Federation lifted restrictions on Belarusian athletes in May 2026, in line with the latest IOC recommendations for Belarus.
Still, approaches differ significantly from sport to sport. According to ABC News, World Athletics said it would maintain the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, officials and support personnel, citing the consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Athletics therefore remains among the sports with the firmest stance, while gymnastics, swimming and some other federations are moving toward reintegration. Such inconsistency creates a complex system in which their status depends on the sport and the level of competition.
For athletes, this means that the same nationality can be treated differently in different sports. In one system they can compete under a flag, in another only as neutral individuals, and in a third they cannot compete at all. Such a situation increases pressure on the IOC and international federations to align rules more precisely before the qualification cycle for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, but for now there is no single solution that would satisfy all sides.
What the decision means for qualifications and future competitions
In the short term, the decision means that Russian and Belarusian gymnasts can compete in international competitions under their usual national identity, if they meet the standard conditions. This could change the composition of finals, the ranking of national teams and the fight for medals in disciplines in which Russia and Belarus are traditionally strong. In rhythmic gymnastics, for example, the return of Russian representatives could have a particularly large impact, because Russia has been a dominant force in that sport for decades.
In the long term, the main focus will be on how the decision fits into the Olympic qualification cycle. Although World Gymnastics manages international competitions in gymnastics, Olympic participation also depends on IOC rules. If a difference remains between Olympic and federation rules, a situation could arise in which athletes compete under national symbols during the world cycle, but must accept a different status at the Olympic level.
For competition organisers, the decision also raises practical questions: flag and anthem protocol, reactions from other national teams, possible protests and media treatment. Previous debates in other sports show that the return of Russian and Belarusian symbols does not remain merely an administrative matter, but often provokes reactions from athletes, national federations and governments.
Sporting reintegration without political consensus
The World Gymnastics decision shows that international sport is gradually moving away from the single model of sanctions introduced in 2022. Instead of general exclusion, there are more and more different solutions: full return, neutral participation, partial easing for Belarus, special conditions for young athletes or maintenance of the full ban. Such a development reflects the tension between the sporting rights of individuals and the political reality of a continuing war.
For World Gymnastics, the key argument now is equal treatment of athletes. For critics, however, the problem is that with the return of flags and anthems this is no longer only about individuals, but also about state representation. It is precisely that difference that will mark the continuation of the debate, especially if the decision is translated into competitions at which Russian and Belarusian athletes again stand on the podium with national symbols.
In practice, the decision has already changed the rules of the game in world gymnastics. Russian and Belarusian athletes are returning to the full competitive framework of World Gymnastics, while international sport remains divided over whether sporting reintegration can be carried out without a clear political resolution of the war in Ukraine. The next major competitions will show how this decision will be implemented on the field of play and whether other federations will follow the same path or maintain a more cautious model.
Sources:
- World Gymnastics – official news item on the decisions of the Executive Committee held in Sharm El-Sheikh on 16 and 17 May 2026. (link)
- World Gymnastics – earlier measures against Russia and Belarus introduced after the start of the war in Ukraine (link)
- World Gymnastics – decision from February 2022 related to the war in Europe (link)
- Inside the Games – report that World Gymnastics defends the decision with the principle of equal treatment (link)
- Inside the Games – report on the return of Russian and Belarusian gymnasts under national flags (link)
- Gymnastics Now – analysis of the lifting of restrictions and the sporting consequences of the decision (link)
- The Kyiv Independent – report on the World Gymnastics decision and the Ukrainian context of the war (link)
- ABC News / Reuters – report on the IOC decision for Belarus and the retained restrictions for Russia (link)