Feb 23 (Reuters) - The Russia and Belarus federations have been reinstated to World Climbing following their suspension in March 2022, but athletes will continue to compete under neutral flags, officials said on Monday.
The World Climbing Executive Board made the decision to reinstate the federations of the two countries ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles having suspended them following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago.
"The decision, that has been communicated to all World Climbing National Federations, lifts the suspension placed on the Russian (CFR) and Belarusian Federations (BACF), while maintaining the following provisions," World Climbing said in a statement.
"To allow the participation of athletes and team officials with Russian and Belarusian passports in international competitions under the Neutral Athletes Policy in place.
"To not allow the organisation of international events in Russia and Belarus until further notice."
World Climbing president Marco Scolaris told Reuters in a July 2024 interview that he believes athletes should not be punished for the actions of their governments.
"Some say sport should not be politicised, but I think we should have a political stand, being that we are neutral. We need to protect the athletes of the world," he said.
"That doesn’t mean we don’t say the Russians did something that is unacceptable, but if we do (punish) athletes then we must apply the same standards to many other countries in the world."
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond)
