Taekwondo’s global governing body has decided to allow Russia to host international competitions, the Russian Taekwondo Union said Tuesday.
World Taekwondo initially suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes and canceled all Russia-based events in March 2022 after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Junior and senior taekwondo athletes from both countries were allowed to return in January, even before the International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted its ban on their national-level Olympic committees later this summer.
World Taekwondo has not publicly confirmed the Russian federation’s announcement. Its 2026 and 2027 schedules do not list any events being held in Russia.
“This year’s calendar is already set, so we should look toward 2027,” a Russian Taekwondo Union source told the state-run TASS news agency.
Earlier this month, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) announced it would once again allow international competitions to be held in Russia starting Oct. 5.
The FEI said it would continue to support Ukraine through a relief fund that it established in 2022 “to help address some of the urgent needs of the country’s equestrian community.”
Other international federations, including aquatics, motorsport, modern pentathlon, wrestling and gymnastics, have also eased restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
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