MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. The International Cycling Union (UCI) granted Russian cyclists Viktoria Yefimova, Konstantin Karpinsky and Zakhar Mokeyev a neutral status permission allowing them to participate in all UCI-sponsored international competitions, the UCI announced in a document obtained by TASS on Monday.

The trio of Russian cyclists cleared for the UCI competitions are all still teenagers: 19-year old Yefimova and 17-year-old Mokeyev (both have previously medaled in track racing) and 15-year-old Karpinsky, who is the 2024 Russian Cycling Champion in the BMX Classic event.

In May 2023, the UCI announced a decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international tournaments.

The UCI stated in particular, "to authorize, under strict conditions, the participation of athletes of Russian and Belarusian sporting nationality in events on the UCI International Calendar, including UCI World Cup and UCI Nations Cup events and UCI World Championships, as ‘neutral individual athletes,’ without them having any involvement or association with the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, their National Federation or National Olympic Committee."