Russian and Belarusian players could soon be allowed to return to Badminton World Federation events
- The governing body to propose a regulative and operational framework at next council meeting in August
- BWF first banned players from 2 countries in March 2022 and extended it in April ahead of the start of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics
Badminton bosses are considering allowing players with Russian and Belarusian passports to compete as individual neutral athletes.
The Badminton World Federation discussed the controversial subject at its council session this week, and the federation said it could soon allow players from the two countries to take part in BWF sanctioned tournaments.
Despite reiterating its “strong condemnation” of the invasion of Ukraine, the BWF said it also backed the International Olympic Committee’s stance athletes should not be affected by global events.
“The guiding principle for BWF is that athletes should always be allowed to participate in sport competitions without judgment of their passport and separate of any geopolitical conflict outside the control of the sports movement,” the game’s governing body said.
“BWF strongly believes that sport should foster peace and solidarity between all people and should not become a political vehicle for influence in geopolitics.
“Therefore, and in line with IOC recommendations, a regulative and operational framework to allow athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports to compete as individual neutral athletes has been commissioned to be presented to Council at its next meeting in August.”
