By Jack Burden

The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation has taken another step in its slow recalibration of policy, voting to allow Russian and Belarusian youth athletes back into international competition.

Following an International Olympic Committee recommendation issued on December 19, 2025, the IWWF Bureau resolved that athletes from both nations will be eligible to compete in all IWWF-sanctioned youth events—defined as all divisions below Open—effective January 30, 2026. The decision applies to both individual and team competitions and permits participation under national flags and anthems, in line with standard IWWF event protocols.

It is a meaningful shift, even if a carefully bounded one. While senior athletes remain outside the scope of this ruling, the door is now fully open for juniors to contest titles and team medals, restoring pathways that had been largely closed since early 2022.

The move fits within a broader, sometimes uneasy evolution of the IWWF’s stance. After initially imposing a sweeping ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes following the invasion of Ukraine, the federation has gradually softened restrictions—first allowing limited participation under the IWWF flag, and now restoring full national representation at the youth level.

The IWWF emphasized that it will continue to monitor developments in Ukraine and review its position should circumstances change, underscoring the provisional nature of the resolution.

For Russia, the timing is notable. Just days after the IWWF announcement, the Russian Ministry of Sport granted water skiing “core sport” status in the Saratov region—the first such designation in the country. Symbolically at least, it marks renewed institutional momentum at home, even as international access cautiously reopens abroad.

As ever, the federation finds itself walking a tightrope between geopolitics and sport. This latest decision suggests a belief that junior athletes, in particular, should not be indefinitely sidelined by forces beyond their control—while leaving open the question of where, and how, the line will ultimately be drawn.