International Archery Federation allows Russian, Belarusian athletes in to compete under neutral flag

The Executive Committee of the International Archery Federation (World Archery) allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in individual international competitions.

The archers will compete under neutral flags, World Archery reports.

"The board expressed its support and agreed to explore a timeline for the return of these athletes under strict conditions of eligibility, permitting only the reintegration of individuals able to prove neutrality through an independent review process. Further information on this procedure will be provided to delegates at the next World Archery Congress.

There are also sanctions preventing the hosting of events in the countries and the use of the national flags and anthems of Russia and Belarus at all competitions, which will remain in place.

World Archery will work in consultation with the International Olympic Committee and the Association for Summer Olympic International Federations to finalize the independent review process necessary to ensure the return of only neutral individuals to events. This process will include an assessment of any link between the individual and the military and security forces.

A working group, which will include independent representation, will be established to develop and implement the timeline for this procedure.

The board reaffirmed its solidarity with Ukraine and full support for the Ukrainian archery community in the face of the ongoing war with Russia and emphasized that proof of neutrality is a mandatory prerequisite for any individual to return to a World Archery event", the statement says.

Archery became the ninth Olympic sport to which the Russians and Belarusians decided to return.

Ukraine responded to this statement.

The head coach of the Ukrainian national archery team Oleg Osypenko noted that the final decision has not yet been made. Russians and Belarusians can be admitted to the competition only based on the results of the Congress of the organization, which will be held in July.

The next issue is how to accept them. Perhaps they have chosen the method. Ukraine is preparing a report with a presentation that destroyed and killed athletes. Ukrainians are not at all on equal terms with the rest of the world. How can those who suffer from this aggression compete in tournaments while the war is going on? It is not clear to me yet, but as far as I know, they are not allowed to compete. The issue will be raised at the end of July, the coach said.

At the same time, Osypenko noted that if athletes from Russia and Belarus are admitted to the competition, the archery team of Ukraine will announce a boycott.

How many Russian archers are in the ranks of the aggressor's Armed Forces? A large percentage.We have a photo of them being awarded the Medal of Valor in 2022, and they are very proud of it. In particular, one athlete met – and there is a photo – with Russia's defense minister Sergei Shoigu. That is, he personally awarded them, Osypenko stressed.

Rubryka also couldn't avoid the issue.

In our latest podcast, we explain why Ukraine calls for a boycott of sports events, why this is an effective response to the war, and how Ukrainian athletes react to the aggressor's participation. We reveal solutions that raised awareness of Russia feeling free in a democratic world.