MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that the European Table Tennis Union’s (ETTU) decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competitions due to the military operation in Ukraine was discriminatory, the Sila Lawyers firm said in a statement.

"In a landmark decision, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the appeal of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia (TTFR) against the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), recognizing for the first time that the exclusion of Russian athletes was discriminatory. The case concerned ETTU’s 2022 decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from all competitions in response to the armed conflict in Ukraine. CAS ruled that this decision violated the principles of political neutrality and non-discrimination as enshrined in both the ETTU Constitution and the Olympic Charter. Crucially, CAS found the measure to be disproportionate, as less restrictive alternatives—such as participation under a neutral flag—had not been considered. At the same time, the ban on the use of national symbols was upheld as lawful, since it did not prevent athletes from participating but merely aimed to reduce political tensions," the statement reads.

"This was the first ruling of its kind in which the tribunal sided with Russian athletes. However, CAS emphasized that its conclusions apply only within the context of table tennis and do not automatically extend to other sports, such as football. Nevertheless, we believe that the principles of non-discrimination are cross-disciplinary, and the conclusions of this decision could serve as a starting point for reconsidering the policies on Russian athletes’ participation in international competitions," the law firm added.

On March 2, 2022, the European Table Tennis Union suspended Russian and Belarusian players from international tournaments. The following day, the ETTU banned Russian clubs from the 2021-22 season. Later, an appeal commission allowed the Fakel Gazprom and UGMK clubs to take part in the Champions League, describing the ban as discriminatory, and ruled that the tournament results of the 2021-2022 season should be revised. Fakel Gazprom and UGMK were expected to compete for a ticket to the Champions League finals and play against Borussia Dusseldorf, which was eventually declared the winner. The ETTU said later, however, that there would be no winner in the 2021-2022 season.

In June 2024, CAS overturned the ETTU decision that banned Russian athletes, clubs and officials from the tournaments sponsored by the organization. Still, CAS upheld the ETTU decision to ban the Russian flag, symbols and national anthem.