34 archers cleared to compete as individual neutral athletes

World Archery has cleared 34 archers holding passports from Russia or Belarus to compete as individual neutral athletes (AIN) in accordance with the International Olympic Committee‘s recommendation for a pathway for a return to competition.

Each athlete underwent a stringent vetting process to assess neutrality, conducted by an independent organisation. No individual found to have any link to the military was granted neutral athlete status.

The following archers will compete as AIN at the European Indoor Championships on 18-23 February 2025 in Samsun (Türkiye):

• Bato Angarkhaev (compound man)
• Arsalan Baldanov (recurve man)
• Arina Cherkezova (compound woman)
• Balzhin Damdinova (recurve woman)
• Viktor Darkhanov (barebow under-21 man)
• Roman Dudnik (recurve under-21 man)
• Kirill Egoshin (barebow man)
• Altana Garmaeva (recurve under-21 woman)
• Kseniia Gerasimova (compound under-21 woman)
• Aidash Iambil (recurve under-21 man)
• Nurinisso Makhmudova (recurve woman)
• Elizaveta Makhnenko (compound woman)
• Maksim Malafeev (recurve man)
• Sofia Merkulova (recurve under-21 woman)
• Sofia Mun (compound under-21 woman)
• Mariia Petrushina (recurve under-21 woman)
• Ekaterina Rumiantseva (compound woman)
• Tatiana Shchetinina (barebow woman)
• Bator Shirabtsynguev (recurve under-21 man)
• Ilia Silaev (compound man)
• Mariia Taraiarova (recurve woman)
• Ivan Zhulin (compound man)
• Aleksei Zykov (compound under-21 man)

The following archers will compete as AIN at the Asia Cup on 16-23 February 2025 in Bangkok (Thailand):

• Aleskey Bashkirev (compound man)
• Vladimir Fazanov (compound man)
• Daniil Kosenkov (compound man)
• Ali Lobashev (recurve man)
• Erzhena Ochirova (recurve woman)
• Saaskylana Olesova (recurve woman)
• Uliana Patina (compound woman)
• Ivan Sihyayev (compound man)
• Aldar Tsybikzhapov (recurve man)
• Bulanto Tsyrendorzhiev (recurve man)
• Valeria Tsyrendorzhieva (recurve woman)

The applications of seven archers were rejected.

World Archery’s working group on Russia and Belarus detailed its approach to returning neutral athletes to competition during the last World Archery Congress in mid-2023. The process remains in place as of February 2025.