And that’s three. After fencing and table tennis, a third summer Olympic sport has followed the IOC’s recommendation and authorised the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions. The International Taekwondo Federation (World Taekwondo) voted on Monday (3 April) to allow their participation in its upcoming events, including the World Championships scheduled for 29 May to 4 June in Baku, Azerbaijan. The decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting of the body’s executive committee. Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to compete under the guise of neutrality, as individuals, provided they have not expressed support for the conflict in Ukraine. World Taekwondo also said that a monitoring committee would be responsible for checking the eligibility of athletes from both countries, in accordance with the conditions set out last week by the IOC Executive Board. The decision of the IOC Executive Board concerns, at first, only the competitions stamped World Taekwondo. The question of Russian and Belarusian participation in multi-sport events will be decided after the end of the 2023 Worlds in Baku.
