Taekwondo players from Russia and Belarus will take part in the World Championships next month after the International Taekwondo Federation allowed them to participate as referees, following the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines.

The International Olympic Committee last week made recommendations for the return of athletes from both countries to international competition since they were banned last year in the wake of Russia’s war on Ukraine, which Moscow described as a “special military operation”.

Table tennis, fencing and judo are among the other Olympic sports that have readmitted athletes from Russia and Belarus as referees.

The International Taekwondo Federation said a review committee would oversee the verification process to ensure the “complete impartiality” of individual athletes and that its board of directors would support them in person after meeting remotely in an emergency meeting on Monday.

The South Korea-based federation said it was following International Olympic Committee guidelines, which say athletes or contractors who support war should be excluded.
with their country’s national security or military agencies.

“We will continue to support Ukrainian athletes to ensure their participation in the taekwondo championships,” the federation said… The board reaffirmed its calls for peace and unity with Ukraine’s Olympic community.

The World Championships are scheduled to begin on May 29 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

The International Olympic Committee will decide separately on the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the Paris Olympics. The reluctance to exclude them met with strong opposition from athletes and some European governments.

Ukraine’s government said they would not be allowed to compete in the Paris 2024 qualifiers against the Russians, and threatened to boycott the Olympics if they were allowed to compete there.