The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has allowed neutral individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international tournaments starting on February 26, 2024.
The BWF press service writes about it.
This decision "meets the International Olympic Committeeʼs eligibility criteria for the participation" of players from Russia and Belarus as neutral athletes.
The BWF states that it will monitor the conduct of all individual Neutral Athletes to ensure compliance with such conditions.
At the same time, the World Badminton Federation believes that the admission of Russians and Belarusians to the competition "is a positive step forward in our efforts to promote peace and solidarity." And with this, the BWF "expresses its unwavering support for the people of Ukraine and the Ukrainian badminton community" and condemns the invasion of Ukraine.
- In January 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended allowing Russians and Belarusians to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris under a neutral flag, and then criticized the decision of the Ukrainian government not to allow athletes to participate in the qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympics shared with Russians and Belarusians. The IOC stated that "governments do not decide which athletes can participate in which international competitions."
- In April, the Badminton World Federation extended the ban on participation in tournaments for the Russian and Belarusian national teams, citing security considerations and solidarity with Ukraine.