Russian Figure Skaters Have Been Allowed To Participate In International Tournaments As Neutrals.

Lausanne; June 2026: The International Skating Union (ISU) has authorised Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in tournaments under its auspices as neutrals. It applies to figure skaters, speed skaters, and short track speed skaters of all age categories. It is noted that athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete as neutral athletes, without national flags, national uniforms, or national anthems.

On the Adaptation of Protective Measures concerning Skaters and Support Personnel affiliated with the ISU Members in Russia and Belarus – Readmission of Neutral Athletes; This Communication records the Council’s decision to adapt, on a controlled and monitored basis, the protective measures previously imposed by ISU Communication 2469 (Decisions of the ISU Council – War in Ukraine / Protective Measures, 24 April 2022) in respect of Skaters and Athlete Support Personnel affiliated with the ISU Members in Russia and Belarus.

Background and legal basis –

• By ISU Communication 2469, the ISU Council imposed protective measures under which, until further notice, no Skaters and no Officials affiliated with the ISU Members in Russia (Russian Skating Union, Figure Skating Federation of Russia) and Belarus (Skating Union of Belarus) were invited or permitted to participate in International Competitions, including ISU Championships and other ISU Events, and no International Competitions were to be held in Russia or Belarus. Those measures were expressly stated not to be a sanction, disciplinary measure or ineligibility decision, but to have been taken exclusively in the interests of the safety of participants and the integrity of the competitions.

• Those measures were adopted under Article 17.1.q) of the then-applicable ISU Constitution 2024 and the former Rule 104, paragraph 17 (Other Protective Measures) of the General Regulations. Following the entry into full force of the 2025 ISU Constitution and the entry into force of the Competition and Event Regulations replacing the General Regulations at the closing of that Congress, the former enabling provisions have lapsed. This Communication is accordingly issued as a new decision of the Council under the ISU Constitution 2025 and the Competition and Event Regulations. To the extent the protective measures recorded in that Communication remain in effect, this Communication supersedes and partially lifts them with effect going forward, as set out below.

• The Council has taken into account the recommendations of the IOC published in December 2025, and May 2026. The decision recorded in this Communication, and its scope, is the Council’s own determination under the 2025 Constitution and the Competition and Event Regulations, informed by those recommendations.

• In reaching its decision, the Council also took into account developments across the Olympic Movement and the differing approaches of other International Federations, including instances in which the lifting of restrictions has given rise to incidents at competitions, as well as the participation of neutral athletes in the 2025/26 Olympic qualification events and at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 without related incident.

Decisions of the Council –

Readmission of skaters and support personnel as neutral athletes:

• With effect from the 2026/2027 season, the protective measure set out in Communication 2469 is partially lifted insofar as it applies to Skaters affiliated with the ISU Members in Russia and Belarus, so that such Skaters may participate in ISU Events and International Competitions as neutral athletes, without items of state recognition (namely national flags, national kit and national anthems), subject to the conditions in this Communication.

• Athlete Support Personnel affiliated with the ISU Members in Russia and Belarus may accompany and assist such Skaters, subject to the same eligibility assessment set out in Paragraph 2 of this Communication.

• Where quotas apply, the number of neutral athletes is determined by the same objective, results, and ranking-based qualification mechanics that apply to all Skaters, and not by reference to nationality.

• Neutral athletes affiliated with the ISU Members in Russia and Belarus may participate in team competitions as part of an AIN team, subject to the general qualification criteria for the relevant competitions. This applies to team events including Synchronized Skating, Speed Skating Team Pursuit, Short Track relay events and the ISU World Team Trophy. An AIN team competes as a neutral team, without items of state recognition, and each member of the team remains subject to the eligibility and neutrality conditions set out in this Communication.

• This Communication supersedes the operative parts of Communication 2469, and of any subsequent Communication, in so far as they are inconsistent with the decisions recorded here.

• This Communication does not affect the ISU’s continued condemnation of armed conflict, nor the ISU’s ongoing support for Ukrainian skaters, including the financial support for the Ukrainian Skating Federation and for displaced skaters first provided under Communication 2469, which continues.

• This Communication takes effect on the date stated above and applies from the 2026/2027 season.

At the 2026 Olympics, singles figure skaters Adelia Petrosyan and Petr Gumennik, short-track speed skaters Alena Krylova and Ivan Posashkov, and speed skaters Ksenia Korzhova and Anastasia Semenova competed as neutrals.

Team Maverick.