The Executive Committee of the International Judo Federation (IJF) voted to allow Russian athletes to once again compete under the Russian flag, with the national anthem and other symbols, starting with the Grand Slam tournament (Abu Dhabi Grand Slam 2025) from November 28 to 30 in Abu Dhabi, the IJF press service reported on Thursday, November 27.

“Sport must remain neutral, independent, and free from political influence… This decision reaffirms the role of the IJF as a truly global federation and strengthens its commitment to fair, transparent, and values-based governance,” the statement explained.

“Historically, Russia has been a leading country in world judo, and its full return is expected to enrich competitions at all levels while respecting IJF principles based on fairness, inclusivity, and respect,” the statement added.

In May, the IJF Executive Committee allowed athletes from Belarus to compete in international competitions under their national flag, with the emblem and anthem of the country. In this context, the federation considers it appropriate “to allow Russian athletes to participate on equal terms.”

As previously reported by the Russian Judo Federation, the Russian team at the UAE tournament will include nineteen athletes, among them Tokyo 2020 Olympic medalist Tamerlan Bashayev (+100 kg), World Champion Arman Adamyan (100 kg), and World Championship medalist Ayub Bliev (60 kg).

The tournament will be held for the eleventh time and will bring together more than four hundred participants from 53 countries on the tatami at the Mubadala Arena.

Earlier, the International Swimming Federation (World Aquatics) decided to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in team competitions. Updated rules for tournament participation for athletes with neutral status were published on November 4 on the organization’s website and will take effect on January 1, 2026.

It should be recalled that Russian and Belarusian athletes were suspended from participating in almost all international competitions across sports in response to Russia’s full-scale armed invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Belarus’s support of this aggression.