Three Russian athletes are also competing in the World Climbing Series event currently underway in Prague under AIN (Athlete Individual Neutral) status. They are Egor Dulub, Viktoria Meshkova, and Ksenia Chernega.

All three competed in yesterday’s bouldering qualifiers. They did not advance to the semifinals, but the competition is not over for them. Today, they will continue in the lead climbing qualifiers.

Their participation was prompted by a statement from the Czech Mountaineering Association (ČHS) issued in February of this year. At that time, the ČHS expressed its disagreement with the World Climbing Federation’s decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to return to international competitions under a neutral status.

According to the ČHS, neutral status does not address the fundamental ethical or moral issues related to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. The federation stated that it will continue to advocate its opposition to the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes at meetings of European and global climbing organizations.

“The ČHS stands with Ukraine and considers it important that the international sports community not succumb to pressure while the war is still ongoing. We will continue to actively advocate for maintaining restrictions against Russia and Belarus within World Climbing,” the federation stated in its position paper.

At the same time, however, the Czech Climbing Federation (ČHS) emphasized that when organizing international competitions in the Czech Republic, it acts in accordance with the decisions of the World Climbing Federation and cooperates with the relevant government authorities, including in the areas of visa policy, security, and event financing. The ČHS stated at the time that the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in events in the Czech Republic cannot be considered automatic without the consent of the state and the fulfillment of all legal and safety conditions.


Russian climber Egor Dulub competes at the World Cup in Prague under a neutral flag
© Lena Drapella/World Climbing

February statement by the Czech Climbing Federation (ČHS):

The Czech Climbing Association against the return of Russians