World Taekwondo to allow Russian, Belarusian athletes to compete in int'l tournaments

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Published: 01 Feb. 2026, 14:34

This photo, released by the World Taekwondo on its website, shows the organization holding an extraordinary council meeting in Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates, on Jan. 31, 2026. [WORLD TAEKWONDO]

The global body for taekwondo has decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international tournaments, the organization's website showed Sunday, in a move in line with a similar decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

World Taekwondo (WT) made the announcement following its extraordinary council meeting in the United Arab Emirates, saying junior and senior athletes from the two countries will be able to compete under their respective national flags.

The organization said that existing restrictions will remain unchanged, including the ban on Russia from holding international sports events and the accreditation not being issued to their government officials.

The decision came in line with the IOC's decision to permit Russian and Belarusian youth athletes to participate in the Dakar 2024 Youth Olympic Games under their national flags, WT said.

Yonhap