MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Pentathlon athletes representing Russia and Belarus must prove their non-allegiance with special military formations and their non-involvement in the Ukrainian special military operation, the press office of the UIPM (Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), told TASS on Friday.
"The Independent Panel set up to review applications from athletes with Russia or Belarus passports who apply to compete as neutral athletes in UIPM Sports has decided on the eligibility criteria, application procedure and timelines," the statement reads.
"UIPM’s application process opens on July 31, 2023 for those who wish to compete in UIPM Sports as Individual Neutral Athletes. No teams of athletes from Russia or Belarus will be allowed to compete, and the individual athlete applicants must satisfy the Independent Panel that they have never actively supported the war in Ukraine, do not serve the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies, and comply with anti-doping regulations," according to the statement.
"Very similar rules apply to the eligibility criteria for support personnel (coaches and trainers, medical staff and physiotherapists, etc)," the statement added.
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. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status.