Thursday Training, 2020 European Rowing Championships, Poznan, Poland
Thursday Training, 2020 European Rowing Championships, Poznan, Poland

European Rowing

EUROPEAN ROWING BOARD DECISION REGARDING RE-ADMITTANCE OF INDIVIDUAL NEUTRAL ATHLETES (AINs) HOLDING RUSSIAN AND BELARUSIAN PASSPORTS AT EUROPEAN ROWING EVENTS IN 2023

 

The ERB supports World Rowing’s position that politics should play no part in sport, and we stand in solidarity with the athletes and coaches of the Ukraine Rowing Federation and their families. We continue to condemn the war and the actions of the governments of Russia and Belarus in illegally invading Ukraine’s sovereign territory, and in murdering Ukrainian people including many athletes and destroying the Ukrainian way of life.

The ERB has taken some time to discuss the World Rowing Executive Committee announcement that Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) holding Russian and Belarusian passports should be re-admitted to World Rowing events in 2023. It has listened to Members and Organising Committee concerns and consulted with stakeholders. The ERB has carefully considered its options with regard to its remaining events and has agreed, by majority, a provisional decision to permit a limited number of AINs holding Russian and Belarusian passports to participate at the ERU23CH Krefeld 2023, under strict criteria:

  • ERB will permit participation in the boat classes agreed by WR for WRU23CH Plovdiv 2023 [specifically, 1x and 2-].
  • Only those athletes [and related support personnel] who have satisfactorily completed the WR eligibility checks prior to entry deadline at the WRU23CH Plovdiv 2023, will be permitted to enter ERU23CH Krefeld 2023. These checks relate specifically to meeting minimum anti-doping criteria; as well as checks to ensure no membership or affiliation to military or security entities, no membership to military clubs and no involvement in, or public support for, the war on Ukraine.
  • Any athlete and support person participating at ERU23CH Krefeld 2023 must agree and sign the WR AIN Commitment Form prior to accreditation.
  • Neutrality criteria set out by WR and based on the IOC Recommended Conditions of Participation for AINs, must be followed by athletes and support personnel at all times, including neutral uniforms; no flags, emblems, symbols or colours or recognition of nationhood of any type.
  • By requesting accreditation for the ERU23CH Krefeld 2023 and signing the WR Commitment Form, athletes and support personnel acknowledge that ERB retains the right to exclude any AIN athlete or support personnel from the ERU23CH, Krefeld 2023 that breaches these requirements.

The ERB will review this provisional decision following the WRU23CH Plovdiv 2023 and will notify its Member Federations of any changes to this decision by 30 July 2023 latest. The ERB reserves the right to change this decision following the WRU19CH Paris 2023 should there be exceptional circumstances.

All decisions and criteria will be reviewed by the ERB at the end of the 2023 season.

European Rowing Board

6 July 2023.