MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. The International Cycling Union (UCI) cleared three Russian cyclists to race as neutral athletes in all UCI-sponsored international competitions, the press office of the Russian Cycling Federation (RCF) announced in a statement to TASS on Wednesday.

The trio of Russian athletes approved by the UCI are Kirill Belov, Valeria Kovyazina and Viktoria Vaskova.

"The International Cycling Union has granted the applications of three Russian athletes for neutral status. Kirill Belov (road), Valeria Kovyazina (track, road) and Viktoria Vaskova (BMX) will be able to compete at international competitions," the statement reads.

RCF General Director Pavel Kostykov said that "the need to obtain neutral status is dictated by the fact that the qualifiers for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles begin in 2026. The neutral status is required in any case during the qualification tournaments."

"As for competing under the Russian flag and anthem, let's hope that in Los Angeles we will perform under our national monikers. However, we must first qualify," he added.

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.".