The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced that Russian and Belarusian players will continue to compete as neutral athletes despite the latest recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ease restrictions on Belarusian competitors. As a result, leading stars such as Aryna Sabalenkova will continue to participate in ITF events without their national flags or symbols.
Earlier this week, the IOC said it was no longer recommending restrictions on Belarusian athletes and teams, potentially allowing them to compete again under their own flag and anthem. The Olympic body noted that the Belarusian Olympic Committee remains in compliance with the Olympic Charter, while Russia’s status is still under review due to concerns related to the war in Ukraine and anti-doping issues.
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However, the ITF clarified that its position remains unchanged despite the IOC’s change in policy. “The International Tennis Federation confirms that the IOC’s announcement does not change its existing position regarding the suspension of the Belarusian and Russian tennis federations, which remain in force,” the ITF said.
“The membership status of the Belarus Tennis Federation will be assessed at the ITF Annual General Meeting in October by the voting ITF Member States,” the international federation added.
RUSSIA, BELARUS NEUTRAL ATHLETES FROM 2022
Russia and Belarus have been suspended from ITF team competitions such as the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup since 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in which Belarus acted as a staging ground. While team participation remains banned, individual players from both countries can still compete under neutral status, provided they do not publicly express support for the war.
Compared to several other sports, tennis has largely maintained this middle-of-the-road approach. The ATP and WTA tournaments have consistently allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutrals, allowing stars like Sabalenkova to continue to perform at Grand Slams and other major tournaments.
World number one Sabalenka has won several major titles during this period, although Ukrainian players such as Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina continues to refuse to shake hands with her and other Russian and Belarusian players after the matches.
However, the wider sporting landscape remains divided. While the IOC has moved to ease restrictions on Belarus, federations such as World Athletics have rejected the recommendation and maintained bans on both Russian and Belarusian athletes until meaningful progress towards peace is made.
The neutral athlete system has been in place since 2022 and was also used at the 2024 Summer Olympics and 2026 Winter Olympics, where vetted Russian and Belarusian athletes without national identification competed.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
08 May 2026 20:22 IST
