The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has decided to allow young volleyball players with Russian and Belarusian passports to compete in international tournaments again, the organization's press service reports.

The FIVB Board of Administration approved the decision at a meeting last Friday. The new rules will take effect on 1 January 2026.

"This is to ensure that the next generation of young volleyball and beach volleyball players have their fundamental right to participate in international competitions without any political interference," the FIVB explained.

Youth teams from Russia and Belarus will now be permitted to compete under their national symbols at international tournaments. However, the ban on senior national teams from these countries remains in place.

"FIVB remains deeply concerned about the ongoing war in Ukraine and strongly condemns all forms of violence. We hope for a peaceful resolution to the situation as soon as possible and continue to support the Ukrainian volleyball community through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program," the federation added.

The decision follows a recent recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to admit Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions at the youth level.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has published a list of Russian and Belarusian skiers granted access to international competitions under "neutral" status, according to the federation's press service.

Six Belarusian and three Russian athletes received clearance. Among the Belarusians, "neutral" status was granted to freestylers Anastasia Andriyanova, Anna Deryugo, Igor Drobyankоv, Anna Guskova, and Vladislav Voznyuk, as well as alpine skier Maria Shkanova.

The Russian contingent includes freestyler Anastasia Tatalina and cross-country skiers Saveliy Korostelov and Darya Nepryaeva.

Korostelov is a two-time junior world champion from 2022, with victories on 23 and 25 February of that year. Days later, FIS decided to suspend Russian skiers from international competitions.

Nepryaeva is the younger sister of Natalia Nepryaeva, who won the overall World Cup standings in 2022. After the Russian suspension, the elder Nepryaeva married Russian men's team sprinter Alexander Terentyev and changed her surname.

FIS stated this is only the first list of admitted "neutral" athletes, suggesting more names will likely be added.

The cross-country World Cup stage in Davos, Switzerland (December 12-14) is the final opportunity to secure Olympic qualification in that discipline, while most other skiing sports allow quota places to be earned through the end of January.

On 21 October, FIS extended the suspension of Russian and Belarusian skiers for the entire 2025/26 season but lost an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which forced FIS to launch a procedure for admitting "neutral" athletes.