MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. The Badminton World Federation (BWR) has announced on a decision to extend indefinitely its suspension of the National Badminton Federation of Russia (NBFR), the press office of the NBFR said in a statement on Saturday.

The BWR executives convened for their general meeting on April 27 in China’s Chengdu, where they ruled to extend the suspension of the Russian national badminton team. The meeting was attended by NBFR Chairman Andrey Antropov.

"There were 151 votes cast in favor of our suspension and 78 against," Antropov said. "Not all of the BWR federations have a single-mandate vote therefore the decision was made on behalf of the majority stake holders."

Antropov also added that speaking on the sidelines of the BWR meeting in China he was granted with the support "on behalf of the Asian and African" participants in the meeting.

Russian athletes’ suspension with BWF

In early March 2022, the Badminton World Federation suspended athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in the federation’s tournaments citing Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

On April 20, 2023, the BWF Council ruled to extend indefinitely its suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international events. However, in late August of that year, the BWF allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international events under a neutral status starting from February 26, 2024.

In late August 2023, the BWF allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international events under a neutral status starting from February 26, 2024.

IOC’s regulations against Russia

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board convened for a meeting at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 19-20 and following the opening day it decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in the Parade of Athletes and also exclude them from the 2024 Olympics overall medal standings.

The IOC, however, ruled that Russian athletes, cleared to participate in the upcoming Olympics, would not have to sign anything denouncing their country’s special military operation in Ukraine.

On October 12, 2023, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) until further notice after the Russian organization included the Olympic councils of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions as its members.

The Swiss-based CAS registered on November 6, 2023 an appeal from the ROC against the IOC’s decision on the Russian governing Olympic body’s suspension.

The suspension means that the ROC cannot act as a national Olympic committee or receive financing from the Olympic movement. The IOC however reserved the right to clear Russian athletes to take part in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 as neutrals. Later, IOC President Thomas Bach said that Russian athletes should have no affiliation with the ROC if they want to compete at the Olympic Games.