Belarusian Biathletes Will Miss This International Season Too
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) confirmed that Belarusian and Russian biathletes will not be admitted to international competitions in the 2026/27 season. The decision was made at the IBU Congress in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
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The special IBU monitoring group found no significant changes that could serve as a basis for the return of the Belarusian and Russian national teams. Russian documents on the fulfillment of necessary conditions were also deemed non-compliant.
This federation's position is not very typical recently. Following the change in recommendations by the International Olympic Committee in May 2026, a number of international federations have already returned Belarusian athletes to competitions. Among them are federations of wrestling, boxing, volleyball, gymnastics, handball, tennis, chess, and other sports.
In hockey, Belarusians were admitted only to three tournaments of the 2026/27 season, but not to the main men's World Championship and the Youth World Championship. In climbing and tennis, only individual performances in neutral status are allowed.
At the same time, the International Athletics Federation still completely excludes Belarusian athletes from its competitions.