LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The governing body for swimming, World Aquatics, has relaxed its regulations, now permitting athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in team events during international competitions.

On Thursday, World Aquatics announced that its ruling board has revised the competition framework to allow athletes who have been competing neutrally in individual categories amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to form teams for swim relays, artistic swimming, and synchronized diving.

With the Paris Olympics approaching, various sports organizations, including aquatics, have followed the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recommendations and assessed individual athletes from Russia and Belarus in order to facilitate their return to competition. The IOC highlighted that a total ban could be deemed discriminatory, although the track and field governing body, World Athletics, opted for a complete exclusion.

The neutrality criteria mandate that athletes do not publicly endorse the invasion of Ukraine and that they refrain from connections with military or state security entities.

During the events held in Paris, four athletes—one from Russia and three from Belarus—competed as neutral participants, void of national insignia, including team colors, flags, or anthems. They did not secure any medals in their events.

At present, the approved neutral athlete roster in aquatics features seven swimmers from Russia and seven from Belarus, along with three divers from Russia and three artistic swimmers from Belarus.

The IOC has also recommended maintaining the prohibition of Russia and Belarus from team sports. According to the guidelines issued by World Aquatics, these countries are still excluded from international water polo, as it involves direct physical interaction among participants.