MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th June, 2023) World Rowing, the international governing body for the discipline, said on Wednesday it would allow a number of Russians and Belarusians to compete in some boat classes at upcoming World Championships, but as neutrals.
"The World Rowing Executive Committee decided to allow a limited number of eligible athletes, holding a Russian or Belarusian passport, to compete as individual neutral athletes in a limited number of boat classes at upcoming World Championships," the statement read.
The organization stressed that nobody should be discriminated against "on the basis of their passport."
"World Rowing believes in the importance of sport as a unique mechanism to build bridges between people even where governments are in conflict," the statement added.
Russian and Belarusian rowers will be reinstated as individual neutral athletes following a background check and in line with an enhanced anti-doping control process. They will not be allowed to display national flags, World Rowing said.
The 2023 events open to nationals from the two countries include the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Bulgaria, the World Rowing Under 19 Championships in France, the World Rowing Championships in Serbia and the World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprint Finals in Italy.
Many sports organizations across the globe have banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in their competitions in response to Moscow's ongoing military operation in Ukraine and Minsk's alleged support for it. The athletes have also been barred from competing under national flags and using national anthems at major international sport events, including the Olympics.
