Since the end of April, Russian athletes have been allowed to compete under a neutral flag. Now, the flag and national anthem are permitted again.
World Boxing, the world boxing governing body, has once again allowed Russian athletes to participate in its competitions under their own flag and with their national anthem. The organization announced this on Thursday.
“The Executive Board has agreed that Russian athletes may participate in World Boxing competitions in the future just like boxers from any other national federation,” stated a press release from the world amateur boxing federation. At the same time, World Boxing announced strict monitoring of the conduct of Russian delegations as well as compliance with anti-doping protocols.
In late April, the federation had initially allowed Russian and Belarusian boxers to compete under a neutral flag. The restriction on Belarusian athletes was lifted in mid-May.
Russia’s Sports Minister Mikhail Degtaryov said in a statement distributed via Telegram: “Russian boxing is returning to the international stage. World Boxing has allowed our athletes of all age groups to compete in all international competitions under the national flag and with the national anthem.”
World Boxing was founded in 2023 and is currently recognized by the IOC as the international governing body for boxing.
Russian and Belarusian athletes had been largely excluded from international sports following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, athletes from both countries have gradually been readmitted to some sports under neutral status. In early July, the IOC lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and eased some of the restrictions on Russian athletes. This means they can now hope to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
