Russian and Belarusian riders will be allowed to race in National events under neutral flag

During the meeting of its Management Committee in Sardinia, the UCI approved a reversal of a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes participating in the World Championships, World Cups, Nations Cups and other UCI events. The move comes after the International Olympic Committee took the same measures in March.

Russian and Belarusian athletes, teams, and events have been the subject of UCI sanctions since March 1, 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine with the assistance of Belarus.

In a press release, the UCI said it decided to "reiterate its firm condemnation of the aggression of Ukraine by the Russian government" but also "restate its commitment to political neutrality" and underscore the "rights of athletes to be treated without discrimination".

Since the sanctions were imposed, the Russian-licensed Gazprom-RusVelo team disbanded after being prevented from racing. Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) was the most high-profile rider to be prevented from racing at the World Championships under the bans. However, Vlasov has been able to continue competing in other UCI-sanctioned races because the bans do not extend to riders on foreign teams.