By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) is following the recent decisions by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) concerning the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sport.
Following the IOC Executive Board’s decision on May 7 to lift its recommended restrictions on Belarusian athletes and teams, and its decision on July 7 to provisionally lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, FIBA’s Executive Committee has established the principles that will govern the implementation of these changes in basketball and 3×3 basketball.
Under the new framework, restrictions on individual Russian and Belarusian participants will be lifted with immediate effect. This means that players, coaches, referees, commissioners and other officials from both countries will be eligible to take part in FIBA competitions.
Russian and Belarusian individual players will therefore be allowed to compete in all FIBA competitions, while officials from the two countries may be nominated for participation. The measure represents a significant change from the restrictions previously applied to individuals from Russia and Belarus following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
The situation regarding national teams, however, remains unresolved.
FIBA said it will work closely with the IOC, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and other Olympic team sports federations to address the logistical and player safety challenges associated with the potential reintegration of Russian and Belarusian national teams.
The discussions will cover the teams’ possible return to the international basketball calendar on the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, as well as participation in international competitions for national teams and clubs across all age categories. The process will apply to both of FIBA’s Olympic disciplines: traditional basketball and 3×3 basketball.
FIBA also indicated that any future decision concerning the return of national teams will have to take into account appropriate safeguards, including an adequate anti-doping program.
Concrete measures and decisions regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian teams are expected to be considered at the FIBA Central Board meeting in December 2026.
The announcement marks an important step in the gradual reassessment of the status of Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams within the international sporting system. While individual competitors can now return to FIBA events immediately, the potential return of national teams will depend on further discussions and decisions expected later this year.
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