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1h ago

IOC Keeps Paris-Style Neutral Policy for Russians and Belarusians at 2026 Winter Olympics

Strict federation-run vetting of neutral entries is expected to leave only a small Russian and Belarusian presence.

Newly elected President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry attends her first Executive Board meeting at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/ File Photo
Olympics - 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics medals unveiled - Palazzo Balbi, Venice, Italy - July 15, 2025 General view of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics medals during the unveiling REUTERS/Alberto Lingria/ File Photo
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Overview

  • IOC President Kirsty Coventry announced in Milan that Milano-Cortina 2026 will follow the Paris 2024 model, with only individually vetted neutral athletes eligible from Russia and Belarus.
  • Neutral entrants will have no flags, anthems or national colours, no entries in team sports, no participation in the opening ceremony and no attribution on the medal table.
  • Athletes must prove they have no ties to the military or security forces and have not publicly supported the war in Ukraine, with such links leading to exclusion.
  • International sports federations will decide qualification and entries, and several still bar Russians and Belarusians in key winter disciplines, limiting potential participation.
  • The ISU has opened narrow qualification routes in figure skating, speed skating and short track, while skiing (FIS), biathlon (IBU) and sliding sports (FIL) maintain broader bans, pointing to a small neutral delegation.