The ITTF Executive Board (EB) has announced that it "endorses" the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) recommendation which offers Russian and Belarusian athletes a route back to international competition as neutrals.

This is as long as they are not openly in support of the invasion of Ukraine or affiliated to the military.

"The ITTF has taken note of the IOC Executive Board's recommended conditions of participation for these players," an ITTF statement said.

"The ITTF will review them and consult with other International Federations to create official guidelines that spell out explicit conditions of participation for players and support personnel with a Russian or Belarusian passport.

"Noting the current schedule, if all conditions are met, the earliest players could participate in an event is in May.

"As qualification for the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Durban 2023 has passed, players with Russian and Belarusian passports will be unable to participate.

"A pillar of the Olympic Movement remains the autonomy that sports organisations must have.

"They should have sole responsibility for deciding which players can participate in international competitions based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports.

"Noting this, the EB supports the admission of players with a Russian or Belarusian passport to international table tennis competitions organised by the ITTF and World Table Tennis under strict conditions of neutrality.

"While a pathway for players and support officials is being considered, the ITTF will continue to keep sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian Governments in place as decided on March 1, 2022."

The ITTF referenced "ping-pong diplomacy", which saw an exchange of table tennis players between the United States and China in the 1970s.

This helped to ease tensions between the two superpowers.

"Having celebrated the 50th anniversary of ping-pong diplomacy recently, the EB notes that the ITTF is acutely aware of the potential dialogues sport can create," the governing body added.

"Table tennis has a long history of bringing people together even when political ties have been tenuous. 

"It can build bridges, leading to better understanding among peoples, and open the door for peacebuilding in ways that exclusion and division cannot.

"The ITTF reiterates its call for peace and unequivocally condemns the war in Ukraine.

"It stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and will continue to support the Ukrainian table tennis community, making the utmost effort to ensure all Ukrainian players can participate in table tennis, Para-table tennis and youth events, worldwide."

Other sports including fencing and taekwondo have also said they will allow Russians and Belarusians back as neutrals.