MOSCOW, March 27. /TASS/. A special commission of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) jointly with countries hosting the 2025 World and European canoe slalom championships approved the neutral-status participation of Russian athletes, the press office of the Russian Canoe Slalom Federation (RCSF) said in a statement on Thursday.
"The ICF together with the organizing countries of the tournaments approved the participation of Russian athletes under a neutral status in all major competitions during the 2025 season. This result is the outcome of RCSF’s hard work," the statement reads.
The 2025 ECA (the European Canoe Association) Canoe Slalom European Championships will take place between May 14 and 18 in Paris, more precisely in Vaires-sur-Marne. And in October, Australia will host the 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships.
Canoe slalom is a water sport where individuals must navigate a decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on river rapids, fastest time wins. This sport is on the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) list of Summer Games competitions, registered as Canoe/Kayak Slalom.
ICF’s sanctions against Russia
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.
On March 1, 2022, the International Canoe Federation (ICF) suspended athletes representing Russia and Belarus indefinitely from international competition citing developments in Ukraine.
In late March, 2023, the IOC recommended 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. Russia and Belarus were also banned from participating in international team events.
On January 17, 2025, the RCSF announced that Russia had been granted the right to compete internationally in canoe slalom events under a neutral status.