LAUSANNE: World Gymnastics on Monday lifted restrictions imposed on Russians and Belarusians competing after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Meeting on Saturday and Sunday in Sharm El-Sheikh, the executive committee of the body said in a brief press statement that restrictions would be lifted “with immediate effect”.

That means gymnasts from both nat­ions are free to return to competition under their flags and with their anthems rather than appearing as neutrals.

They can also compete as teams, rather than as individuals, and the stipulations that they should not have actively supported the war in Ukraine nor been under contract with the army or security service have been dropped.

World Gymnastics did not offer any justification for the decision which is out of line with recent recommendations from the IOC who earlier this month advised international federations to reinstate Belarusians, but not Russians.

The door is now open for Russian and Belarusian gymnasts to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Judo and swimming have also voted for the full reinstatement of the two countries while boxing limited itself to following the IOC by lifting only the restrictions on Belarusians.

Other organisations, like the Inter­national Figure Skating Federation and World Athletics, continue to exclude both countries entirely from their competitions.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2026