The IESF allows Russian competitors to compete under their national flag

In a statement published on Monday, the Russian Esports Federation announced that delegates at the International Esports Federation (IESF) congress voted to enable Russian teams and players to compete in upcoming events using their own flag and anthem.

“The delegates have reversed the decision made during the 18 April 2022 congress, which had prohibited Russian athletes from participating in international competitions under their own flag”, the statement said.

According to the statement, 32 delegates voted in favour of lifting the ban on Russian players. 13 delegates voted against the decision, while a further 25 abstained. The statement also specifies that a proposal from the Ukrainian Esports Federation to suspend Russia’s membership in the IESF was rejected.

“Undoubtedly, this is great news. In our understanding sport should unite, and any form of discrimination against athletes based on national or other reasons is unacceptable. Therefore, we are pleased to have been able to overturn the previous decision” commented Dmitry Smit, President of the Russian federation, as quoted in the statement.

The issue of the reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian athletes, who have been banned from international competition since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, is being debated in many federations as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games approach. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has advised international federations to reintegrate these athletes under a neutral banner, provided they did not actively support the offensive in Ukraine. However, the IOC has not yet decided whether Russians and Belarusians will take part in the Olympics.