Olympics-Russians, Belarusians will compete as neutral athletes at 2026 Winter Olympics, says IOC

IOC Allows Russian and Belarusian Athletes to Compete as Neutrals in 2026

IOC's Decision on Neutral Athletes

MILAN, Italy (Reuters) - Russians will compete as neutral independent athletes without a national flag or anthem at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday, maintaining the same sanctions as the Paris Summer Games last year.

Background on IOC's Suspension

The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in October 2023 for recognising regional Olympic councils for Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, saying the move had violated the Olympic Charter.

Vetting Process for Athletes

"We also spoke about the Independent Neutral Athletes (AINs). This will be nothing new," IOC President Kirsty Coventry told a press conference. "The Executive board will take the exact same approach that was done in Paris (2024 Olympics). Nothing has changed."

Impact on Winter Games

Russian and Belarusian athletes who reach qualifying times will be first vetted for any links to the Russian military or support of the war in Ukraine, both of which will exclude them.

Russian teams are banned from the Games. Belarus has acted as a staging ground for the invasion of Ukraine.

A small number of individual Russian and Belarusian athletes were allowed to take part as AINs in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics after first passing rigorous vetting by the IOC.

They competed without the Russian or Belarusian flag and anthem. Instead they took part as neutral athletes.

Four Russian figure skaters in men's and women's singles were recently approved by the International Skating Union to try to qualify for the Games, which start on February 6, 2026 in Italy, as neutral athletes.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Alex Richardson and Ken Ferris)