UIPM lifts Belarus restrictions for 2026 Budapest events
belarus athletes will return to UIPM events under their national identity after the UIPM Executive Board voted to lift all restrictions on athletes and teams from Belarus. The change takes effect with the UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Cup Budapest from June 9-13, ending the neutral status Belarusian competitors had used since 2023.
Belarus Modern Pentathlon Federation athletes will also become eligible for team medals and relay participation at World Championships across all age groups later in 2026. The board met online on May 10, 2026, after the International Olympic Committee recommended on May 7, 2026, that Belarus athletes and teams be relieved of any remaining restrictions across global sport.
Rob Stull and the IOC position
UIPM President Rob Stull said the board followed the IOC's May 7 reasoning on athlete responsibility. “In the reasoning behind its decision of May 7, the IOC clearly stated that athletes should not be held responsible for the actions of their governments.”
Stull added: “We are pleased that this principle has been reaffirmed in the decision to restore normal competition conditions for Belarus athletes, and I’m glad that the UIPM Executive Board has followed that reasoning.”
Stull also said: “Belarusian athletes have participated on a neutral basis in our competitions since 2023, without incident.” He said UIPM had appointed an independent panel two months after March 2023 to review Individual Neutral Athlete eligibility.
Budapest and Pazardzhik
The first event affected by the change is not Budapest alone. UIPM said the AIN system for Belarus athletes will be used one more time at the UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Cup Pazardzhik starting on May 13, 2026, before Belarus athletes compete as fully representative athletes in Budapest from June 9-13.
That sequence leaves a short bridge between the old rules and the new ones. Belarus athletes still go through one final competition under neutral status in Pazardzhik, then move into full national representation for the rest of the UIPM calendar named in the announcement.
Dr Viacheslav Malishev joins UIPM
At the same online meeting, the UIPM Executive Board unanimously accepted the nomination of Dr Viacheslav Malishev for the vacant statutory position of Vice President for Business Affairs, effective immediately. Malishev has been President of the Georgian Modern Pentathlon and Triathlon Federation since 2012.
He said: “I would like to thank President Stull for nominating me for the position of UIPM Vice President for Business Affairs, and I am grateful to colleagues on the Executive Board for their support.” He added: “We find ourselves at a very exciting intersection, where rising participation and a growth in popularity of UIPM Sports brings enhanced commercial opportunities.”
For Belarus athletes, the practical change starts in Budapest and reaches further later in 2026, when team medals and relay events are back on the table. Russia athletes remain under the AIN system until further notice, while UIPM also repeated its support for community members in Ukraine whose lives continue to be affected by the military occupation of their country.
