Russians not allowed to ski as neutrals at Milano-Cortina Games
FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows the Olympic rings and the Olympia delle Tofane track in Cortina, which will host the women's alpine skiing competition during the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games 2026, in Cortina, Italy, January 24, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Greco/File Photo
Russian and Belarusian skiers and snowboarders will not be allowed to compete in next year's Winter Olympics, even as neutral athletes, after the sport's governing body voted on Tuesday not to allow them into qualification events.
The International Olympic Committee had previously said it would allow Russians and Belarusians to take part in the February 6-22 Games in Italy but that the final decision would rest with individual sports federations.
The FIS, however, said its council had voted against any participation, in a blow for the ruling body's President Johan Eliasch, who had supported a return for Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals.
"The FIS Council ... voted not to facilitate the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in FIS qualification events for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games," the FIS said in a statement.
"The International Olympic Committee’s AIN regime has been set out as a possible pathway for athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the Olympic Games, with each International Federation remaining responsible for the decision on whether to allow these athletes to take part in its existing qualification system."
RUSSIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE SUSPENDED
The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in October 2023 for recognising regional Olympic councils for the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
"I believe this is the right decision," Norway's Olympic cross-country skiing champion Johannes Hoesfolt Klaebo told Norway's NRK broadcaster.
"I have long held the view that the Russians should not be allowed to participate as long as the war in Ukraine continues. If the aggressive war were to stop, that would be a different matter."
Russian and Belarusian skiers will also be unable to compete in next year's Paralympics. The International Paralympic Committee had in September lifted its ban on athletes from the two countries, clearing the way for them to compete in Milano-Cortina under their own flag.
"It is very simple: Vladimir Putin is my president and my country is always right," said Veronika Stepanova, Russia's Olympic cross-country skiing champion.
"If that is the reason some dubious, nameless characters will not allow me to compete internationally... then it is a price I am ready to pay. You are stopping me and my teammates solely for our political beliefs," she said.
