The ITTF Executive Board met online on 10 July 2026 and considered the participation of athletes holding Russian passports in ITTF events.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has taken note of the decision of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board of 7 July 2026, provisionally lifting the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and confirming that the IOC recommendations to International Federations concerning the participation of Russian athletes and teams are no longer applicable.
Following consideration of this development, and in line with the ITTF Executive Board’s recent decision concerning the reinstatement of athletes with a Belarusian passport, and in consideration of the principle of equal treatment of athletes and the need for any restrictions on participation to remain necessary, proportionate and objectively justified, the ITTF Executive Board has decided that athletes holding a Russian passport shall be reinstated and permitted to participate in ITTF table tennis and Para table tennis events, under the ordinary conditions applicable to all athletes, with effect from 28 July 2026.
This decision applies to ITTF-sanctioned events and covers both individual and team events. Athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel, delegations, Member Associations, and event organisers remain subject to all applicable rules, including eligibility, entry, accreditation, anti-doping, integrity, safeguarding, disciplinary, and competition requirements.
Consistent with the IOC decision, athletes holding Russian passports returning to international competition must meet the relevant anti-doping requirements applicable to their participation, including appropriate testing arrangements under the overall ITTF testing programme agreed with the International Testing Agency.
The decision is without prejudice to any applicable law, host-country requirement, visa restriction, sanctions regime, public authority instruction, security assessment, anti-doping requirement, integrity assessment, safeguarding measure, disciplinary rule, accreditation requirement, or competition rule.
The decision is also without prejudice to any matter falling under the jurisdiction of the IOC or any other competent body in relation to the Olympic Games or other third-party events, including any matter concerning Olympic accreditation, quota allocation, flag, anthem, colours, uniforms, national symbols, delegation status, or participation conditions.
The ITTF will now proceed with the necessary operational steps to implement the decision across its competition systems, entry and accreditation procedures, ranking and results systems, event documentation, and stakeholder communications.
Alongside this decision, the ITTF reaffirms its solidarity with the Ukrainian table tennis community and recognises the profound impact that the ongoing war has had on Ukrainian athletes, coaches, officials, clubs, and families. This decision does not diminish ITTF’s support for Ukraine, nor its concern for those who continue to be affected by the conflict. ITTF remains committed to supporting the table tennis community in Ukraine through different channels.
The Federation will continue to monitor any further relevant developments and will assess whether they have any legal, governance, operational, anti-doping, integrity, security, host-country, Olympic-related, stakeholder, or competition-related implications for table tennis.