After boxing, fencing and table tennis, the International Taekwondo Federation decided to accept athletes from Russia and Belarus with neutral status, without national insignia and anthem, to its competitions.

The International Taekwondo Federation applied the recommendation of the IOC

The measure will enter into force on the occasion of the Taekwondo World Championship, which is scheduled to be held in Baku (May 29 – June 6).

World Taekwondo has set up an evaluation committee tasked with examining whether athletes who want to compete in its competitions meet the conditions put forward by the IOC last Tuesday, when it recommended the readmission of Russians and Belarusians, provided they did not actively support the Russians. invading Ukraine and not being part of the armed forces, among other things.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday recommended reintegrating Russian and Belarusian athletes into international competitions under a neutral flag and “in an individual capacity” on the condition that they did not actively support the war in Ukraine.

The IOC president reiterated that politics cannot be part of sports competitions and athletes should not be punished for their passports.

Boxing, fencing and table tennis also decided to reintegrate athletes from Russia and Belarus.

However, Russia refused to send athletes to the qualifying tournament in Poznan (Poland), citing Warsaw’s “unacceptable” conditions for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the competition.

Poland asked Russian and Belarusian athletes to sign a written document certifying that they do not support the attack on Ukraine and that they do not work for the Russian army or security agency, adhering to the established criteria of neutrality, reports Agerpres.