The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes who do not support “their state’s actions in Ukraine” will be able to return to the competition as neutrals.

The International Canoe Federation will allow Russians and Belarusians to compete

The International Olympic Committee imposed sanctions on Russia and Belarus after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but last month recommended allowing athletes to return to international competition as neutrals.

To date, table tennis, pentathlon, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among the Olympic sports to which athletes from the two countries have been re-admitted.

“An independent commission will be established to review all applications from Russian and Belarusian athletes who wish to compete as neutrals,” the ICF said in a statement.

“The ICF Council will maintain the ban on all Russian and Belarusian officials from canoeing. They will not be able to participate in the events,” says the sports forum.

The Rowing Federation of Ukraine said on Thursday that it had been meeting with the ICF leadership for the past few weeks to discuss allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate, which it considers unacceptable.

>>> Russian athletes do not agree with the IOC conditions for reintegration into competitions