PATTAYA /Thailand/, November 13. /TASS/. Russia’s national team of bodybuilders is set to compete at the upcoming 2026 IFBB (International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation) Asian Championship in Pattaya, Thailand, under the national flag and to the tune of the country’s national anthem, President of the Russian Bodybuilding Federation (RBF) Alexander Vishnevsky told TASS on Friday.

"The Russian national team will perform under the national flag and to the tune of the country’s anthem at the Asian Championship," Vishnevsky told TASS.

"There is nothing more valuable for an athlete than to hear country’s anthem standing on the highest step of the podium," Vishnevsky stated.

The International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB), ruled earlier that athletes representing Russia may compete in its sponsored international tournaments under the country’s national flag and to the tune of the state anthem.

The 2026 IFBB Asian Championship is set to take place on November 13-15 in Pattaya, Thailand.