MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. The International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) has allowed all Russian fighters to participate in international tournaments under the national flag and to the tune of the country’s anthem, Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Mikhail Degtyarev said on Tuesday.

"Starting in June, the Russian national team will perform in full at the world championship in Malaysia [2026 IFMA World Championships]," Degtyarev wrote on his Telegram channel. "The team is made up of the country's strongest athletes, including multiple World Champions Konstantin Shakhtarin, Askhab Akhmedov and Ovsep Aslanyan."

The 2026 IFMA World Championships will be held on June 16-26 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Earlier, restrictions were lifted from Russia by other international fighting federations, namely in the sports of judo, sambo, taekwondo, kickboxing, boxing, MMA and wrestling.

In December 2025, the IOC Executive Board issued recommendations that allowed athletes in international federations from Russia and Belarus to participate in youth disciplines under the national flags and anthems. This recommendation applied to both individual and team sports. Numerous international sports federations followed the proposal.