Following the decisions of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Executive Board concerning athletes holding Belarusian passports on 17 June 2026 and athletes holding Russian passports on 10 July 2026, as well as the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board of 7 July 2026, the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) Executive Board decided on 16 July 2026 to align ETTU’s position with the IOC and ITTF decisions.
Accordingly, athletes holding Russian or Belarusian passports will be permitted to participate in ETTU events without restrictions and under the same conditions as all other athletes, with effect from 28 July 2026.
The IOC Executive Board provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and confirmed that its recommendations to International Federations concerning the participation of Russian athletes and teams are no longer applicable. The ITTF Executive Board separately reinstated athletes holding Belarusian and Russian passports, allowing them to participate without restrictions and under the same conditions as all other athletes.
The ETTU decision applies to athletes holding Russian or Belarusian passports in both individual and team events. Their participation remains subject to all applicable rules and requirements, including those concerning eligibility, entry, accreditation, anti-doping, integrity, safeguarding, disciplinary matters and competition. Athletes returning to international competition must meet all relevant anti-doping requirements applicable to their participation, including any specific testing arrangements required under the ITTF anti-doping programme administered in cooperation with the International Testing Agency.
This decision is without prejudice to any applicable law, host-country requirement or matter falling under the jurisdiction of the IOC, the ITTF or any other competent body.
ETTU reaffirms its solidarity with the Ukrainian table tennis community and recognises the profound and continuing impact of the war on Ukrainian athletes, coaches, officials and their families. This decision does not diminish ETTU’s commitment to Ukraine. ETTU will continue to support the participation of Ukrainian athletes in its events, including through the waiver of fees and assistance towards hospitality costs.
ETTU will now proceed with the operational steps necessary to implement this decision and will continue to monitor any further relevant developments.
