ITF confirms Russia and Belarus suspensions remain despite IOC update on neutral athletes

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) launched a statement confirming that it will maintain the existing restrictions on the Russian and Belarusian Tennis Federations, which have been suspended since the start of the war in Ukraine. Players from those countries – such as Aryna Sabalenka, Daniil Medvedev, Mirra Andreeva or Andrey Rublev – will continue competing without a national flag.

The ITF made clear that its position remains unchanged despite the latest announcement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had updated its general framework regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sport.

According to the IOC, individual athletes from both nations may continue to compete as neutral athletes, under strict conditions that include no national symbols, no flag and no anthem. The IOC also reiterated that eligibility decisions remain in the hands of each international federation.

In tennis, however, this clarification does not alter the current structure already in place. The ITF confirmed that suspensions of both federations remain fully active, meaning Russia and Belarus are still excluded from team competitions such as the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup.

Both nations have been absent from these events since 2022, after Russia had won the Davis Cup and BJK Cup in 2021 and Belarus had also been competing regularly at the highest level of team tennis.

At individual level, the situation remains unchanged. Players from both countries continue to compete across ATP and WTA events, as well as Grand Slams, under a neutral designation. This framework has allowed top-ranked players like Medvedev, Rublev and Sabalenka to remain active on tour, while officially detached from national representation.

“The International Tennis Federation confirms that the IOC’s announcement does not change its existing position regarding the Belarus and Russian Tennis Federations' suspensions which remain in place,” they wrote in a recent statement.

The IOC’s most recent position also reaffirmed the broader concept of “neutral participation” in sport, while maintaining restrictions on team events involving Russia and Belarus.

This approach was also reflected at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where Russian and Belarusian athletes competed as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN). In tennis, Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider notably secured a silver medal in women’s doubles, competing without national symbols under the neutral banner.

For now, the ITF’s stance signals continuity rather than change. While the IOC has refined its guidance on athlete participation, tennis governance remains aligned with its established post-2022 framework: exclusion of national federations from team competition, and conditional participation for individuals under a neutral status.

The only potential opening in the near term concerns Belarus, whose federation status is set to be reviewed at the ITF Annual General Meeting in October.