MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) will allow Russian athletes to compete in full under its auspices starting July 28, the press office of the Russian Table Tennis Federation told TASS.

Russian athletes will be allowed to take part in ITTF competitions under the national flag and anthem.

Russian national teams will be allowed to take part in team events.

The return of the national flag and anthem to Russian athletes is the result of the tireless work of the Russian Table Tennis Federation, the organization’s President Alexander Babakov told TASS.

The decision will come into effect on July 28.

The next tournament where Russians athletes will be able to compete under their national symbols will be an event in Japan set for August 4-9.

Russian athletes’ results

Russian athletes have been competing at international tournaments as neutrals in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles since April 2025.

Russia has a strong table tennis team and should vie for medals at international competitions, Babakov said.

In 2025, two Russian players, Vladimir Sidorenko and Maxim Grebnev, advanced to the finals at the World University Games, the first Russians ever to do so. Sidorenko grabbed gold.

In July 2026, Sidorenko reached finals at a Grand Smash (akin to a Grand Slam in regular tennis) tournament in the United States as he became the second Russian to break the top 20 global players. Now he is ranked the 15th.

Russia’s top player in women's singles is Elizabeth Abrahamyan, who is ranked 48th by the ITTF. In March, she won both the singles and doubles titles at a prestigious tournament in Tunisia.

In July, Russian athletes won three gold and one silver medals at a tournament in Istanbul.