Russian, Belarusian skaters banned by international governing body following invasion of Ukraine

The International Skating Union (ISU) says competitors from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete at its international events until further notice due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The ISU is the international governing body for figure skating, speed skating and short-track speed skating.

«The ISU Council will continue to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the ISU activity and will take additional steps if and when required,» an ISU statement read.

The move follows the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) recommendation that global sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from taking part in their events.

The IOC said its executive board made the decision «in order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants» and that the body was acting with a «heavy heart».

The International Olympic Committee can no longer claim it operates above politics, writes Tracey Holmes.

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) criticised the IOC's move, saying the decision «contradicts both the regulatory documents of the IOC and the (Olympic) Charter».

«As a first step, we consider it necessary to send requests to international federations for an official response on the status of Russian athletes and their rights to participate in international competitions due to the fact that it is the… federations that have the authority to admit athletes to international competitions in the respective sport,» the ROC said in a statement.

«For its part, the Russian Olympic Committee intends to consistently uphold the rights and interests of Russian athletes and provide all necessary assistance to our national federations to challenge discriminatory