The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that athletes from Russia and Belarus will be permitted to compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Their participation, however, will be under strict conditions, requiring them to compete as “neutral athletes” without national flags or anthems representing their countries during the event.
This decision follows the IOC’s suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee in October 2023, a measure taken after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began over a year prior. IOC President Kirsty Coventry clarified that this approach is consistent with the policies implemented for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. “We have consistently discussed independent institutions and neutral athletes in the past; this is not a new policy,” Coventry stated, emphasizing that the Executive Board would apply the same methodology used for Paris 2024 to these nations, indicating no change in stance.
All Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify regionally will undergo a rigorous vetting process. A dedicated commission will scrutinize their backgrounds to determine any potential links to the Russian military or any public support for the war in Ukraine. Should such connections be identified, the IOC will unequivocally bar these athletes from participating, even under the neutral athlete designation.
Since Russia initiated its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, major international sports organizations worldwide have imposed bans on Russia and its ally, Belarus, from participating in numerous international sports competitions. Belarus, having served as a staging ground for the Russian attack on Ukraine, faced similar prohibitions on its athletes from international tournaments.
During the Paris 2024 Olympics, Russian and Belarusian athletes competed as neutral individuals, having already undergone stringent control measures by the IOC. For all participating athletes, the use of national flags and anthems was strictly prohibited during the events. This precedent continues for the upcoming Winter Games.
As an initial step towards the 2026 Games, four Russian athletes — two men and two women — have already received authorization from an international skiing federation to compete as neutral athletes. These athletes are expected to participate in the Winter Olympic Games season, which is scheduled to commence on February 6, 2026, in Italy.
