In a major and highly controversial shift within the international sporting landscape, the International Gymnastics Federation (World Gymnastics) has lifted all restrictions previously imposed on athletes from Russia and Belarus with immediate effect.

Following an executive committee meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, the governing body announced that gymnasts from both nations are now fully permitted to return to global competition under their respective national flags, complete with national symbols and anthems.

The sweeping decision applies across all five disciplines governed by the body: artistic, rhythmic, acrobatic, and aerobic gymnastics, as well as trampolining.

Crucially, the ruling means Russia and Belarus can once again enter as unified teams rather than isolated individual athletes. Furthermore, previous strict stipulations—which mandated that athletes must compete under a “neutral” status, hold no contractual ties to the military or national security services, and demonstrate no active support for the war in Ukraine—have been completely dropped.

The move significantly deviates from the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) latest directives issued earlier this month, which only recommended lifting restrictions for Belarusian athletes while maintaining sanctions against Russia.

Historically a dominant powerhouse in the sport—having captured 10 medals overall at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics before being banned from Paris 2024—Russia’s gymnastics community welcomed the sudden reinstatement.

Oleg Belozerov, President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation, publicly thanked World Gymnastics President Morinari Watanabe for what he described as a “constructive approach and support for the principles of open international sport.”

The first wave of athletes to compete under the restored regulations will be sports acrobatics representatives at World Cup stages in Bulgaria and Azerbaijan later this month. The door is also now officially open for both nations to begin the qualification cycles for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

While organizations like World Athletics and the International Skating Union continue to enforce total exclusions, World Gymnastics joins a growing list of federations—including United World Wrestling, World Aquatics, and the International Judo Federation—that have moved to fully reinstate Russian and Belarusian competitors despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.