Overview
- Ukrainian Association of Football head Andriy Shevchenko, the 2004 Ballon d'Or winner, called for barring nations that support Russia from the Olympics.
- He said exclusions should last while the conflict continues and urged pressure from all sides, according to a quote published by Dagens Nyheter.
- On December 11, the IOC recommended lifting all youth restrictions for Russian and Belarusian athletes and allowing adults to compete individually under neutral status.
- RIA Novosti reported that figure skaters Petr Gumennik and Adelia Petrosyan and ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov received invitations, with additional Russians granted neutral status to seek 2026 qualification.
- The 2026 Winter Olympics are slated for Italy, with athlete eligibility now shaped by federation-level decisions under the IOC guidance.