Russian and Belarusian athletes will be ​permitted to compete in World Aquatics events with their respective uniforms, flags and anthems, the sport’s governing body said on Monday.

Competitors from ⁠both countries were banned from international events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which Moscow describes as a “special military operation”. Belarus has served as a key ⁠staging point for the ​invasion.

However, ⁠some of their athletes competed as neutrals in the Paris 2024 Olympics as the restrictions ⁠were eased.

World Aquatics said more than 700 screenings ​had ⁠been conducted on athletes ‌holding Russian and Belarusian sport nationality under its eligibility guidelines.

It added that such athletes will only ‌be cleared to compete after successfully ‌passing at least four successive anti-doping controls and completing background checks.

“Over the last three years, World Aquatics and the AQIU (Aquatics ⁠Integrity Unit) have successfully helped ensure that conflict can be kept outside the sporting competition venues,” WA President Husain Al Musallam said in a statement.

“We are determined to ensure that pools and open water remain places where athletes from all nations can ‌come together in peaceful competition.”

In December, restrictions ​were lifted for Russian and Belarusian youth ‌athletes.

WA also said Russia ⁠and Belarus will resume full membership rights.

Russia’s sports minister and head of ​its Olympic Committee, Mikhail Degtyarev, welcomed the decision, ‌saying it would allow Russian ⁠and Belarusian athletes to compete on an equal footing with ⁠others.

Russia’s state-run RIA news agency quoted Dmitry Mazepin, head of the national aquatics ‌federation, as saying ​Russia could now seek to ‌host future world and European aquatics ​championships.

The ⁠next World Aquatics championships, including artistic swimming, diving, high diving, open ‌water swimming, ​swimming and water polo, are ‌to be held in ​Budapest in 2027.