ISU Lifts Competition Ban: Russian Figure Skaters Allowed to Compete Internationally Again

The prerequisite is that the athletes have "zu keinem Zeitpunkt seit Februar 2022 diesen Krieg aktiv und öffentlich unterstützt haben". Russian and Belarusian athletes must compete without state symbols such as national flags, national anthems, or national attire. This condition is set out in an ISU communication.

ISU's Reasoning

At the Olympic Games in February in Italy, Russian and Belarusian figure skaters had competed as neutral athletes. The Russians Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik each finished sixth in the Olympic individual events. However, their participation was still subject to special regulations that applied outside the regular ISU competition series.

The ISU justified its decision with reference to developments across the entire Olympic movement. Other sports federations had previously lifted their exclusions of Russians and Belarusians. At the same time, the ISU stressed that the decision would have "keinen Einfluss auf die fortgesetzte Verurteilung bewaffneter Konflikte oder auf die weitere Unterstützung ukrainischer Eiskunstläufer durch die ISU".

Open Visa Question for the 2027 World Championships

Despite the easing, the issue of entry visas remains a factor of uncertainty. Athletes may nevertheless encounter problems when applying for entry visas to countries hosting ISU events. The next Figure Skating World Championships are scheduled for 2027 in Finland; it remains unclear whether all athletes will receive the necessary visas in time.

Background: Four-Year Ban in Figure Skating

The background: Russia has been waging its war of aggression against Ukraine for nearly four and a half years. The ban was one of the most far-reaching sanctions imposed by international sport against the Kremlin and had largely pushed Russian figure skating — long one of the sport's dominant nations — off the international stage. With the current decision, Russian athletes are returning to competitive activity under strict neutrality requirements.

The ISU announced that it will continue to closely monitor developments in the Olympic movement. The federation pointed out that participation under neutral status does not permit any form of state funding or symbolism. Officials and support staff from Russia and Belarus will also once again be permitted to travel to ISU events, provided they likewise fulfill the political neutrality requirement.

The report was broadcast on June 30, 2026 on Deutschlandfunk. With this move, the figure skating world federation is one of the last major winter sports federations to officially adjust its original line of sanctions against Russian and Belarusian athletes.