The list is getting longer. After fencing, table tennis, taekwondo, wrestling and triathlon, a sixth summer Olympic sport opens the door to Russian and Belarusian athletes. The International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) announced on Thursday, April 20 that its executive committee had decided, the day before, in favor of a reintegration of the athletes of both countries in its competitions. “UIPM supports the pathway of a return of ‘independent neutral athletes’ with Russia and Belarus passports to allow athletes of all nationalities to compete together in our sports, in line with the Olympic Charter and especially the principle of non-discrimination“, indicates the authority based in Monaco in a communiqué. The UIPM does not specify when the Russian and Belarussian athletes will be able to make their back on the international scene. But it explains that an independent panel will be responsible for examining the eligibility of athletes on the basis of criteria to be established by its executive committee, in collaboration with the IOC. The same panel will also determine a timetable for the reintegration of athletes from the two countries at war with Ukraine.
