Overview
- The IOC’s eligibility panel approved Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik of Russia and Viktoriia Safonova of Belarus after checks for any support of the war or ties to military or security agencies and confirmation of anti-doping compliance.
- All three earned quota places at International Skating Union qualifiers in Beijing in September before undergoing the IOC’s second-stage review.
- They must accept individual invitations and will compete as Independent Neutral Athletes without a flag or anthem, will not join the opening parade, and their results will not count toward an official medal table.
- These are the first athletes from Russia and Belarus invited to Milano-Cortina, with any further participation dependent on federation decisions and active legal challenges.
- The Russian Olympic Committee remains suspended for recognizing bodies in occupied Ukrainian regions, and several winter federations still bar Russian and Belarusian athletes despite a recent CAS ruling that challenged blanket exclusions in luge.