OREANDA-NEWS The World Taekwondo Federation will return Russian athletes to international tournaments. This was reported to TASS by the head coach of the Russian national team Vadim Ivanov.

"The council of the World Taekwondo Federation ended an hour ago. A decision has been made to admit Russian and Belarusian athletes," he said. Ivanov said that the first start for Russians will be the World Cup in Azerbaijan, which will be held from May 29 to June 6, 2023.

On March 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that Belarusians and Russians who did not support the special operation in Ukraine be allowed to compete in a neutral status. At the same time, athletes from Russia and Belarus associated with the armed forces or security agencies of their countries are recommended to be suspended from participating in tournaments.

At the end of February 2022, most sports organizations suspended the national teams of Russia and Belarus on the recommendation of the IOC. The decision on the participation of representatives of these countries in the Olympic Games-2024 has not yet been made.