Russian, Belarusian athletes banned from Ironman competition

ST GEORGE, Utah — IRONMAN won’t allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in its competitions this year. The ban is effective immediately, affecting competitions worldwide, including one of its biggest races down in St. George. 

The event in St. George is one of the Ironman World Championships. There are two of them this year.

The one in Washington County is set for May 7, and then the second one is in Hawai’i. The group says they won’t allow athletes from Russia or Belarus to participate in any races during 2022. And that includes this weekend’s in Dubai.

“In line with the recommendation by the International Olympic Committee and World Triathlon regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competition, The IRONMAN Group, effective immediately, will disallow participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah and our two IRONMAN World Championship events taking place in St. George, Utah and Kona, Hawai’i.”

The Ironman Group said it would follow the International Olympic Committee and World Triathlon‘s recommendations to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes. The organizations’ recommendations apply to international competitions like the Ironman events. 

No athlete will be allowed to compete under the Russian or Belarusian flags. The group said this rule will apply to all age groups.

In an emailed statement, the group called it a necessary step.

“While we recognize the difficult situation created for Russian and Belarusian athletes by these steps, we believe these are necessary to protect the integrity of our events.”

The Ironman Group said it would be reaching out to athletes living in Ukraine to offer assistance. The group acknowledged the challenges those athletes will face in light of the situation in Ukraine.

Furthermore, the IRONMAN Group will be canceling its July 17 event in St. Petersburg. That was a triathlon event scheduled.

A statement of solidarity with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/Y5pQ4krZiM

— IRONMAN Triathlon (@IRONMANtri) March 2, 2022

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