The UIPM Executive Board has lifted all restrictions on the participation of athletes and teams from Belarus, clearing the way for them to compete again as fully representative entrants in international modern pentathlon. The move, agreed at an online meeting on May 10, follows an IOC recommendation four days earlier that Belarus athletes and teams be relieved of any remaining restrictions across global sport.
For Belarusian athletes, the change marks the end of a neutral-only status that has been in place since March 2023, when UIPM aligned with International Olympic Committee recommendations. They will compete one more time under the AIN system at the UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Cup in Pazardzhik starting May 13, before returning as full national athletes at the UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Cup in Budapest from June 9-13. Later in 2026, Belarus will also be eligible for team medals and relay participation at world championships across all age groups.
UIPM President Rob Stull said Belarusian athletes had taken part on a neutral basis in UIPM competitions since 2023 without incident, and said he was grateful that the process had protected athlete safety. He also said the IOC had made clear in its May 7 reasoning that athletes should not be held responsible for the actions of their governments. The board’s decision extends only to Belarus; the AIN system for Russia athletes remains in place until further notice.
The Belarus decision sits inside a broader shift in how international sport is handling eligibility rules after the IOC’s May 7 recommendation. UIPM had already set up an independent panel two months after March 2023 to review AIN eligibility, and the federation’s latest move brings its rules into line with that updated Olympic guidance. Stull also used the May 10 meeting to nominate Vice President Dr Viacheslav Malishev for the vacant statutory post of vice president for business affairs, and the recommendation was unanimously accepted with immediate effect.
Malishev has led the Georgian Modern Pentathlon and Triathlon Federation since 2012 and is in his 10th year on UIPM’s Executive Board. He thanked Stull and board colleagues for their support, saying rising participation and the growing popularity of UIPM sports create stronger commercial opportunities, and that he looks forward to combining his business background with years of leadership in pentathlon in the new role. Stull also reiterated support for community members in Ukraine whose lives continue to be affected by the military occupation of their country.
For Belarus, the practical shift is immediate and concrete: its athletes are back on the road to full representation, with Budapest next on the calendar and team events back in reach later in the year.
