Aryna Sabalenka to remain neutral athlete as ITF rejects IOC's Belarus policy stance

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced that Russian and Belarusian players will continue to compete as neutral athletes despite the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) latest recommendation to ease restrictions on Belarusian competitors. As a result, leading stars such as Aryna Sabalenka will continue participating in ITF events without their national flags or symbols.

Earlier this week, the IOC stated that it no longer recommends restrictions on Belarusian athletes and teams, potentially allowing them to compete under their own flag and anthem once again. The Olympic body noted that Belarus’ Olympic committee remains compliant with the Olympic Charter, while Russia’s status is still under review due to concerns related to the war in Ukraine and anti-doping issues.

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However, the ITF clarified that its position remains unchanged despite the IOC’s policy shift. “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,” the ITF said.

“The membership status of the Belarus Tennis Federation will be considered at the ITF Annual General Meeting in October by the ITF's voting member nations,” the international federation added.

RUSSIA, BELARUS NEUTRAL ATHLETES SINCE 2022

Russia and Belarus have been suspended from ITF team competitions such as the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup since 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in which Belarus acted as a staging ground. While team participation remains banned, individual players from both nations are still permitted to compete under neutral status, provided they do not publicly express support for the war.

Tennis has largely maintained this middle-ground approach compared to several other sports. The ATP and WTA tours have consistently allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutrals, enabling stars like Sabalenka to continue featuring at Grand Slams and other major tournaments.

World No.1 Sabalenka has won multiple major titles during this period, although Ukrainian players such as Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina have continued to refuse handshakes with her and other Russian and Belarusian players following matches.

The broader sporting landscape, however, remains divided. While the IOC has moved toward easing restrictions on Belarus, federations such as World Athletics have rejected the recommendation and maintained bans on both Russian and Belarusian athletes until meaningful progress is made toward peace.

The neutral-athlete system has been in place since 2022 and was also used at the 2024 Summer Olympics and the 2026 Winter Olympics, where vetted Russian and Belarusian athletes competed without national identification.

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