The BWF is planning to create a "regulative and operational framework" that will allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals ©Getty Images

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is planning to create a "regulative and operational framework" that will allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals.

The BWF Council is set to consider a timeline for potentially lifting the suspension of Russians and Belarusians at its next meeting in August.

The International Federation reiterated its strong condemnation of the war in Ukraine and promised to continue its "unwavering support" for the people of Ukraine and the badminton community.

However, the world governing body feels athletes should be able to compete in sports "without judgement of their passport and separate of any geo-political conflict outside the control of the sports movement".

"BWF continues to express unwavering support to the people of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian badminton community, and we strongly condemn the invasion of Ukraine, which works against BWF’s core values and our objective to obtain peace," A BWF statement read.

"Council equally aligns itself with the principles of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the global sports movement around open participation of athletes in international competitions.

"The guiding principle for BWF is that athletes should always be allowed to participate in sport competitions without judgement of their passport and separate of any geo-political conflict outside the control of the sports movement.

The next BWF Council meeting is scheduled to be held in Copenhagen in conjunction with the 2023 World Championships from August 21 to 27 ©Getty Images
The next BWF Council meeting is scheduled to be held in Copenhagen in conjunction with the 2023 World Championships from August 21 to 27 ©Getty Images

"Sport should foster peace and solidarity between all people and should not become a political vehicle for influence in geo-politics."

The governing body also added that the framework being developed will follow the International Olympic Committee's "eligibility criteria for participation and aim to ensure a safe and peaceful competition environment for all athletes".

The next Council meeting is scheduled to be held in Copenhagen in conjunction with the 2023 World Championships from August 21 to 27.

After the invasion of Ukraine last year, athletes from Russia and Belarus were largely frozen out of sport until the IOC lifted a recommended outright ban in March of this year.

Since then, many International Federations have allowed them to compete as neutrals provided they do not support the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated to the military, with World Taekwondo among the latest ones.