Waterskiers and wakeboarders from the two nations have been barred by the IWWF since March last year in response to the war in Ukraine.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had previously recommended an outright ban on Russians and Belarusians but is now opening the door to their participation after ruling that they should be allowed to return as individual neutral athletes provided they do not support the conflict and are not affiliated to the military.

Several sports have since agreed to adhere to the IOC’s recommendations, but the IWWF said its sanctions against Russia and Belarus would remain in place.

"After extensive consultation with athletes and stakeholders on this issue, the IWWF Bureau has decided to continue to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from all IWWF events," a statement from the IWWF read.

"The IWWF will continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and review its position should circumstances change."

Under the IWWF’s sanctions, athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus are not allowed to compete in its competitions and the two nations are barred from hosting any events.

The IIWF joins the International Federations of athletics, badminton, basketball, equestrian, sport climbing and surfing in maintaining its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Archery, canoeing, fencing, judo, modern pentathlon, skateboarding, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon and wrestling are among the sports that have agreed to readmit athletes from the two countries under the IOC’s recommended conditions.