Boston Marathon Will Not Allow Runners from Russia and Belarus to Race

The decision comes less than two weeks until the race.

With less than two weeks until the Boston Marathon on April 18, the race announced that runners who are citizens of Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to participate.

This ban affects 63 runners out of the over 30,000 who signed up for the 126th Boston Marathon. This decision comes after the invasion of Ukraine began in February. Athletes from the two countries have been banned from various other sports across the world.

The Boston Athletes Association released a press statement on Wednesday regarding the update.

“Like so many around the world, we are horrified and outraged by what we have seen and learned from the reporting in Ukraine,” said President and CEO of the B.A.A. Tom Grilk. “We believe that running is a global sport, and as such, we must do what we can to show our support to the people of Ukraine.”

However, citizens of either country who were accepted during the open registration period who do not still reside in Russia or Belarus are allowed to still participate in the marathon. They are not able to run under their country’s flag, though.

The race will not acknowledge the countries’ affiliation or flags during this year’s competition. 

The B.A.A. mentioned that they will attempt to refund participants from Russia and Belarus “within the constraints as imposed by federal and international sanctions.” However, any Ukrainian runners who can no longer participate will get a full refund or can defer their registration to a future year.