Poland has ordered 15 Russian and Belarusian nationals to leave the country after border officers investigated their presence at the World Karate Championships in the southern city of Bielsko-Biała.
The group, comprising 11 Belarusian citizens and four Russians, was detained after competition organisers alerted Polish Border Guard officers to concerns that some visitors were attempting to participate in the event despite restrictions.
All 15 received administrative decisions requiring them to leave Poland within eight days.
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Border Guard spokesperson Lieutenant Szymon Mościcki said the individuals had entered Poland on tourist visas that did not correspond with their stated purpose of visiting the country.
The orders followed inspections carried out during the World Cadet, Junior and Under-21 Karate Championships, held from 14 to 18 October.
According to local newspaper Bielsko.biala.pl, which spoke directly to the Border Guard spokesperson, the authorities acted after organisers raised suspicions about the group.
The Border Guard confirmed that all 15 were instructed to leave Poland within the shortest departure period available under the procedure.
However, the available reports confirm orders to leave, not that all 15 individuals have already been physically removed from the country.
Organisers alerted border authorities
Paweł Połtorzecki, president of the Polish Karate Union, which organised the championships, said officials had received information suggesting Russian and Belarusian visitors might attempt to participate despite restrictions affecting their involvement.
Organisers suspected some were hoping to secure places after arriving at the competition venue.
Połtorzecki said the first warning came when a Russian national appeared at a refereeing course associated with the championships.
That encounter prompted the first detention.
Organisers subsequently contacted the Border Guard office in Bielsko-Biała and requested checks into the visitors’ circumstances.
Polish officers examined the immigration status of the 15 individuals during the tournament.
Mościcki, spokesperson for the Silesian Border Guard division, confirmed that the group comprised 11 Belarusian and four Russian citizens.
He said officers identified a discrepancy between the tourist visas used to enter Poland and the purpose of their visits.
Following the checks, the commander of the Bielsko-Biała Border Guard post issued decisions requiring each person to leave.
The authorities gave the group eight days to depart.
It has not been established from the available official comments whether all 15 were registered athletes, coaches, officials or people accompanying potential competitors.
Nor has the Border Guard publicly confirmed that any member of the group actually competed in the championships.
Russian participation had already caused a dispute
The incident followed disagreement between Russian karate officials and the Polish organisers in the days before the competition.
Earlier in October, Russia’s karate federation claimed that its athletes had been entered for the championships and intended to compete under neutral designations recognised by the World Karate Federation (WKF).
However, the Polish Karate Union disputed the claim.
Połtorzecki told WP SportoweFakty that Russian competitors were not on the official registration list when entries closed.
The federation uses neutral designations for eligible athletes from Russia and Belarus.
Russian competitors are identified through the WKF-1 designation, while WKF-2 is used for Belarusian competitors.
The Polish organiser said there were no WKF-1 entries on the tournament list when registration closed, although WKF-2 competitors were registered.
He also said the organisers had informed the international federation about restrictions affecting Russian nationals seeking to enter Poland.
According to the Polish Karate Union’s statement reported by local media, claims that Russian competitors had already secured places were incorrect.
Russian officials disputed the organisers’ account.
A report by Russia’s TASS news agency subsequently alleged that Polish officials had prevented Russian athletes from participating.
The disagreement remained unresolved in the available public statements, although no Russian competitor was confirmed as having participated.
Belarusian athletes did compete under neutral status
The distinction between Russian and Belarusian participation is important.
Although the 15 people facing orders to leave included 11 Belarusian nationals, the championships were not subject to a blanket international prohibition on all Belarusian competitors.
The World Karate Federation permits eligible competitors from the two countries to take part in certain competitions under neutral designations.
Indeed, a competitor entered as WKF-2 won a gold medal at the Bielsko-Biała championships.
According to the World Karate Federation’s official results from 18 October, Ivan Kudzinaou defeated Luxembourg’s Alexander Davies 7–1 to win the men’s under-21 kumite title in the over-84kg category.
His result confirms that athletes competing under the WKF-2 neutral designation participated successfully in the tournament.
The case involving the 15 visitors must therefore be distinguished from the eligibility of athletes who had been properly registered and admitted under the applicable arrangements.
The immigration decisions were issued following Border Guard checks into the individuals’ entry and residence circumstances.
The organisers’ suspicions about potential unauthorised participation formed part of the background to those checks.
Why does Poland restrict Russian sporting participation?
Poland has maintained restrictions affecting Russian participation in international sporting events since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Belarus has also faced restrictions because its territory was used by Russian forces during the invasion and its government has continued to support Moscow.
However, international sporting organisations have adopted different approaches to athletes from the two countries.
Some continue to exclude Russian and Belarusian competitors, while others permit qualifying individuals to participate without national flags or anthems.
The World Karate Federation has arrangements for neutral competitors, but participation in an internationally sanctioned event does not automatically resolve the immigration requirements imposed by the host country.
Poland has taken a restrictive position on admitting Russian and Belarusian athletes for certain competitions.
Earlier in 2026, the European Weightlifting Federation moved its European junior and under-23 championships away from Poland after a dispute over participation by athletes from those countries.
The European federation’s decision, reported by TVP World, reflected disagreement between the international sporting body’s participation policy and Poland’s national approach.
The Bielsko-Biała case illustrates a related issue: the rules governing eligibility for competition and those governing entry into Poland are not necessarily identical.
It does not establish that every Russian or Belarusian passport holder is prohibited from attending sporting events in Poland.
World karate championships attracted more than 2,000 athletes
The incident occurred during one of the largest international karate events hosted by Poland in recent years.
The 2026 World Cadet, Junior and Under-21 Championships took place at the Pod Dębowcem sports arena in Bielsko-Biała between 14 and 18 October.
According to the World Karate Federation’s official tournament information, more than 2,000 athletes from at least 114 countries were expected to participate.
The five-day competition featured age-group world championship contests in kata, a discipline involving technical sequences, and kumite, which involves competitive sparring.
Poland finished with two medals.
Natalia Bałut won gold in the junior women’s kumite over-66kg category, defeating Egypt’s Roaa Eltaher 4–2.
It was Poland’s first world title at the event since 2017, according to the international federation’s championship report.
Michał Przasnyszki also won bronze for the host country.
Japan finished top of the overall medal table, ahead of Egypt and Spain.
The event concluded on Sunday, 18 October, with the immigration decisions becoming public in reports the following day.
What happens to the 15 people now?
The available information establishes that the Border Guard issued decisions requiring all 15 individuals to leave Poland within eight days.
It does not establish that they were immediately escorted to a border, placed on deportation flights or otherwise physically removed.
Nor have the authorities publicly disclosed individual case files, details of any appeals or subsequent departures.
The Border Guard has not identified the individuals publicly in the reporting reviewed.
The latest confirmed action therefore remains the administrative requirement to leave Poland within the specified period.
The incident highlights the tension between international sporting participation, national entry restrictions and immigration enforcement during events involving competitors from countries affected by sanctions and related restrictions.
It also illustrates why the precise grounds for an immigration decision matter.
In this case, Polish authorities cited discrepancies involving the visitors’ tourist visas and the purpose of their stays, following concerns raised by tournament organisers.
Whether all 15 have since complied with the orders remains to be confirmed.
