Equestrian-Russia's federation says FEI to lift athlete, hosting ban from October

Sept 3 : Russia's equestrian federation have said the sport's global governing body (FEI) will lift its ban on Russian athletes and officials from October 5 and allow international events to be held in the country again.

Russian and Belarusian athletes have been barred from representing their countries under their national flags at FEI events since March 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, though some have competed as neutral athletes.

The FEI confirmed the move, saying it followed the International Olympic Committee's decision in July to provisionally lift its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

The Russian equestrian federation said on Wednesday the FEI Council had approved the move after what it described as extensive negotiations between the national body and international officials.

Under the new rules, Russia can host FEI-sanctioned competitions from October 5, subject to compliance with FEI regulations. The restrictions on Russian national flags, anthems, colours, uniforms and other national identifiers will also be lifted.

"The FEI has also received written confirmation from the Russian Equestrian Federation that it does not develop equestrian sport or operate equestrian clubs in the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhia regions, nor in Crimea and Sevastopol," an FEI spokesperson said in a statement.

"And that its official documents and publications contain no references to these territories."

The FEI said it would continue supporting Ukraine.

"The FEI Solidarity Relief Fund for Ukraine, established in 2022, remains operational and continues to help address some of the urgent needs of the country’s equestrian community," it added.

The IOC banned the ROC in 2023 after the national body took over