The International Skating Union (ISU) will allow speed skaters from Russia and Belarus to return to international competitions as individual neutral athletes for the upcoming winter season, according to a report by schaatsen.
nl.
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These athletes must compete without any national symbols, such as flags or national uniforms.
Due to their prolonged absence from ISU events, returning skaters will initially face limited entries because they lack world ranking points.
The ISU plans to continuously evaluate the competition conditions.
Officials noted that restrictions could be further eased if there are no risks to safety or organizational integrity.
Wennemars Faces Injury Setback
Dutch skater Joep Wennemars faces a difficult start to his season after aggravating a groin injury that first appeared during his preparation for the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Wennemars walked away without medals from those Games, finishing fourth in the 1,500-meter race and missing a podium chance in the 1,000-meter event following a crossing interference by a Chinese opponent.
"We werken hard aan de weg naar herstel.
Dit is niet wat ik voor ogen had na afgelopen winter," stated Joep Wennemars, Team Essent skater, via his Instagram account regarding his recovery.
Dispute Over German Training Hub
In Germany, a dispute has emerged over the future of the training hub in Erfurt.
The German Speed Skating Federation (DESG) mandated that top skaters sign contracts by June 26 to relocate to Inzell or Berlin or face removal from the national squad.
