FIBA Reopens Doors for Russian and Belarusian Players in 3×3 Basketball Competitions

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has announced a partial return for Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition, specifically allowing youth participation in 3×3 basketball events while maintaining suspensions for senior national teams in traditional five-on-five formats.

According to FIBA’s decision communicated in December 2025, the suspension of national teams and clubs from Belarus and Russia from competitions under its auspices has been extended, with the ban remaining in place until the FIBA Executive Committee meeting scheduled for mid-February 2026. The organization confirmed that, when the situation allows, it will be ready to take extraordinary measures to ensure the participation of players from both federations in the 2028 Olympic Games, given the impossibility of participating in the major FIBA tournaments of 2026 and 2027, where qualification processes are already underway.

Despite the continued exclusion from senior international tournaments, FIBA has made an exception permitting youth athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in 3×3 basketball events. This development was reported by Lithuanian news outlets in April 2026, which noted that FIBA has opened a pathway for Russian and Belarusian youth to return to 3×3 basketball competitions, including participation in youth tournaments.

The decision reflects a nuanced approach by FIBA, balancing geopolitical considerations with opportunities for younger athletes to maintain competitive engagement in a modified format of the sport. While the suspensions for senior teams in events such as the FIBA World Cup and Olympic qualifiers remain active due to the ongoing situation related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the allowance for youth participation in 3×3 basketball represents a limited easing of restrictions.

FIBA initially suspended Russian and Belarusian teams and officials from all international basketball competitions, including 3×3, in March 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. That suspension has been renewed multiple times, most recently in May 2025 and again in December 2025, with the current extension signaling that the organization does not anticipate a full reinstatement for senior teams before the 2026 and 2027 major tournaments.

Although the return is limited to youth 3×3 events, the move provides a controlled environment for adolescent athletes from the affected federations to continue developing their skills within an international framework, albeit without access to the traditional five-on-five senior competitions that serve as qualifiers for global events like the Olympics and World Cup.

As of the April 2026 announcements, no timeline has been provided for when senior teams from Russia and Belarus might be reconsidered for reinstatement in five-on-five international basketball, with FIBA indicating that any such decision would depend on future assessments of the geopolitical situation and alignment with international sporting bodies’ positions.