MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. The Equestrian Federation of Russia (EFR) and the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) have agreed that five more Russian athletes will be granted the right to compete as neutrals in international tournaments, according to the EFR document obtained by TASS on Thursday.

The neutral status has been granted to Salikha Abdullayeva, Anastasia Grachyova, Daria Loseva, Kosta Khatsayev and Diana Gerasimova.

Russian athletes have been barred from FIE-sponsored tournaments since March 2022 after the International Equestrian Federation slapped Russian equestrian sports with sanctions due to the country’s special military operation in Ukraine.

In November 2023, at a meeting of the FIE Bureau, held within the framework of the organization's General Assembly in Mexico, a decision was made that it was necessary to change the measures imposed on Russian athletes, horses, officials, horse owners and accompanying staff.

The FEI headquarters was instructed to work out criteria allowing individual Russian athletes, horses, officials, and so on to resume participation in FEI competitions under a neutral status, and to come up with an application form for this status.

In early November, the FEI ruled to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete at international tournaments in team events starting from January 1, 2026. The FEI General Assembly also made a decision to allow Belarus to host federation-sponsored competitions starting in 2026.