MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has decided to postpone its consideration of an issue regarding Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation in international tournaments, Sweden’s Expressen daily reported on Wednesday.

"This issue is a subject to further discussions, but the final decision on it will be made later," the Swedish daily quoted FIS Deputy Secretary General Niklas Carlsson as saying.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation oversees Olympic winter sports disciplines of Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding.

IOC’s ban on Russia’s international participation

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

At its session on January 25, 2023, the IOC Executive Board put forward a proposal to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Athletes from the countries in question should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status.