Reinstatement of Russian Seeding at WYYC2026

Earlier this month, the IOC conditionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and announced that the previous recommended conditions for participation for International Federations were no longer in effect.

For the past three years, participation from Russian players in IYYF competitions has remained open, but under a neutral flag. In keeping with the spirit of this restriction, the decision was also made not to offer seeding or official recognition to the Russian National YoYo Contest. While the neutral flag order remains in place with the IOC for now, the lifting of other restrictions has given us reason to reconsider seeding. The IYYF will now officially recognize the results of the 2025 Russian YoYo Contest and seed the appropriate players to World Yo-Yo Contest 2026 in Himeji.

We hope, with the rest of the world, for a withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, and that this kindness and cooperation towards the Russian people is not mistaken for tolerance of the Russian government’s unprovoked aggression.