The World Skate Executive Board took the following decisions  in relation to the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the resolutions adopted on 1^st March 2022 and 6^th April 2023

• To reiterate its firm condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
• To continue to offer support to the Ukrainian sports movement.
• To respect the right of all athletes - regardless of their nationality - to be treated with no discrimination.

Regarding the participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian sporting nationality in World Skate sanctioned events, the World Skate Executive Board decided as follows:

• To authorize, under strict conditions, the participation of athletes of Russian and Belarusian sporting nationality in World Skate sanctioned events as "individual neutral athletes", in accordance with the IOC EB recommendations of 31 March 2023.
• To impose a strict requirement of neutrality with regard to the athletes of Russian and Belarusian sporting nationality for any participation in each World Skate sanctioned event.

The participation of athletes as individual neutral athletes will be accompanied by several measures, described in ad-hoc rules named “Criteria for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in World Skate competitions”, aimed at ensuring strict compliance with the neutrality requirements, that World Skate will release in the coming weeks. These will be based on and reflect the IOC Executive Board recommendations for International Federations and international sports event organisers on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions of 28 March 2023. 
Any athlete wishing to obtain the status of "Individual Neutral Athlete" will have to apply to World Skate in accordance with the above-mentioned criteria. This will lead, if all the conditions are met, to the granting of "Individual Neutral Athlete" status. Athletes who comply with this status will be eligible to participate in World Skate sanctioned events from 1 January 2024.
In the field of anti-doping, World Skate will continue to implement the procedures in force, in collaboration with the International Testing Agency (ITA).
Although these decisions allow a return to World Skate sanctioned events for Russian and Belarusian athletes, which may include events which are included in the Paris 2024 Olympic skateboarding qualification pathway, the decision on whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be eligible to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is the responsibility of the IOC.
As a result of this decision, the World Skate Executive Board will finalize in the coming weeks the “Criteria for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in World Skate competitions” and the supporting documents.
 
Lausanne, 14^th September 2023