Overview
- FIAS’s executive committee approved allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their flags with anthems starting 1 January 2026.
- The change extends an October policy that had already reinstated national symbols for junior categories to cover all age groups.
- Since March 2022, Russian and Belarusian sambo athletes had competed under FIAS identification without national emblems.
- Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev welcomed the decision as upholding sporting and Olympic values, echoing FIAS president Vasily Shestakov’s call to keep sport a bridge for dialogue.
- The move follows the International Judo Federation’s 27 November vote to restore national symbols, with Russia topping the medal table at the subsequent Abu Dhabi Grand Slam.