Curling-Junior curlers from Russia and Belarus to return to international competitions

The ‍governing body said its board had decided to allow the two countries' junior athletes to compete after the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) executive board said last month that juniors should ⁠not ‌be held accountable ⁠for their governments' actions. "The change in eligibility will begin with the World Junior Mixed Doubles ‍Curling Championship 2026, taking place in Edmonton, Canada in May," World Curling said ​in a statement, adding that Russia has indicated it will enter ⁠a mixed doubles pair for that event.

Russian and Belarusian junior curlers will be allowed to compete in the sport's international competitions ‌again from May, while adult athletes from both countries will remain excluded, the sport's global governing body World ⁠Curling said on Friday. World Curling banned Russia and its ally Belarus after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and stripped the Russian city of ​Perm of the European Curling Championship scheduled for May of that year. The ‍governing body said its board had decided to allow the two countries' junior athletes to compete after the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) executive board said last month that juniors should ⁠not ‌be held accountable ⁠for their governments' actions.

"The change in eligibility will begin with the World Junior Mixed Doubles ‍Curling Championship 2026, taking place in Edmonton, Canada in May," World Curling said ​in a statement, adding that Russia has indicated it will enter ⁠a mixed doubles pair for that event. "The existing event exclusion will remain in place for the ⁠adult athletes at this time and will be reviewed by World Curling following member consultations at the open meetings being held in Geneva ⁠in April." Some Russian and Belarusian athletes have been invited by the ⁠IOC to compete ‌in next month's Milano Cortina Winter Olympics as individual neutral athletes (AIN). But both countries remain excluded from team events, ⁠including curling.

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