# World Aquatics restores flags and anthems for Russian and Belarusian athletes

On the 2026-04-13 event date, World Aquatics said Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete at its events under their own flags and anthems instead of neutral status.

The governing body's announcement marks a major shift in how it treats athletes from Russia and Belarus. According to the source, World Aquatics will allow senior athletes with Belarusian or Russian sport nationality to compete in its events in the same way as counterparts from other nations, including with their national uniforms, flags and anthems. That is a clear break from the previous neutral-status arrangement.

The decision matters because World Aquatics is influential far beyond swimming alone. It oversees swimming, diving, water polo and related disciplines, so its policy can shape the tone of international sport more broadly. The source says the new rules apply to World Aquatics events such as world championships, and it suggests the move could add momentum toward a wider return of Russian athletes in the Olympic world ahead of Los Angeles 2028. The article should treat that as the source's implication rather than a guaranteed IOC shift.

There are still conditions. The report says Russian and Belarusian athletes must undergo four anti-doping tests and background checks before competing. It does not explain exactly what the checks will cover, which keeps the policy somewhat opaque even as it loosens the visible restrictions. That combination is important: the organization is opening the door, but not removing every gate.

The source also notes that Ukraine has objected in the past to efforts to let Russian athletes return and that the International Olympic Committee had not immediately responded. That political backdrop helps explain why this policy move is significant beyond pool decks and podiums. It touches one of sport's biggest unresolved arguments: whether and how athletes from countries involved in war should return to normal competition.

For readers, the verified news is straightforward. World Aquatics has moved to restore flags and anthems for Russian and Belarusian athletes at its events, ending the neutral-status approach that had been in place for senior competitors.

The policy change is significant beyond the pool because it signals how one sports federation is deciding to handle the return of Russian and Belarusian competitors before any broader Olympic ruling is settled. The added conditions, including anti-doping tests and background checks, show that World Aquatics is trying to balance reintegration with scrutiny. Even so, the decision to restore flags and anthems is a clear symbolic break from neutral-status competition.

It also leaves open the question of how other federations will respond. For now, the verified story is simply that World Aquatics has changed its own rules and reintroduced the symbols it once set aside.