Russian and Belarusian skaters are set to return to world championships and Grand Prix events next season as neutral athletes, marking their first participation since Russia’s full military invasion of Ukraine. The International Skating Union (ISU) announced on Tuesday it was lifting a ban, in place since February 2022, on athletes and officials from both nations. They will compete without national symbols like their flag or anthem, though practical challenges persist, with athletes potentially facing difficulties securing entry visas from host countries. Finland will host 2027 figure skating worlds, South Korea short track, and China the next speed skating worlds.The ISU justified its decision by citing the "without related incident" participation of some Russian and Belarusian skaters at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. Russians Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik, along with Belarus's Viktoriia Safonova, competed with neutral status in Milan, with Petrosian and Gumennik both finishing sixth in their individual events.The decision to allow Russian skaters to compete was announced on Tuesday (Getty)Guidance from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was also noted; on 7 May, the IOC advised sports bodies to readmit Belarusian athletes without vetting for neutral status. For skaters to be approved with neutral status, the ISU stipulated they must not have "at any time since February 2022, actively and publicly supported that war."The ISU affirmed that its decision "does not affect the ISU’s continued condemnation of armed conflict, nor the ISU’s ongoing support for Ukrainian skaters." It reiterated the 2022 exclusion was not punitive, but for "exclusively in the interests of the safety of participants and the integrity of the competition."Russian and Belarusian competitors were allowed to participate in the Winter Paralympics earlier this year. The controversial decision led to a number of countries and the UK government boycotting the opening and closing ceremonies."We strongly oppose the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games,” a UK Government spokesperson said.“We have been clear that the Russian and Belarusian states should not be represented in international sport while the barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine is ongoing.“Therefore, no Government Ministers or officials will attend the Opening or Closing Ceremonies of the Paralympics.”