The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has once again found itself at the center of a global sporting debate, confirming on September 19, 2025, that Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics—but only under the strict designation of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN). The decision, reached during the Executive Board meeting in Milan, mirrors the controversial approach used at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and signals the IOC’s determination to maintain a consistent, if challenging, policy toward nations embroiled in conflict.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry didn’t mince words at the subsequent press conference: “The executive board will take the exact same approach that was done in Paris, so it’s just a continuation… nothing has changed from Paris.” This means that athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports who qualify through their respective International Federations’ processes—and who meet the IOC’s strict participation criteria—will be eligible to compete, albeit stripped of all national symbols, flags, anthems, and colors. No teams will be permitted, and any athlete with ties to the military or who has publicly supported the war in Ukraine is strictly barred.
This policy comes in the wake of the Russian Olympic Committee’s suspension in 2023 for violating the Olympic Charter by incorporating regional sports bodies from occupied eastern Ukraine. The move drew global attention and set the stage for the current restrictions. The IOC’s stance is clear: team sports are off-limits, and only those individuals who can demonstrate both sporting excellence and political neutrality will be considered for the Games.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, this approach resulted in just 32 neutral athletes—15 Russians and 17 Belarusians—competing across 10 sports. Notably, none of these athletes’ medals were included in the official medal table, and they were excluded from the opening ceremony, a tradition that will continue in Milan-Cortina. The IOC’s official statement on the matter was unequivocal: “The IOC executive board considered the experience of the Olympic Games in Paris, during which 32 athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport from 10 different sports took part, without any incident on or off the field of play.”
For Russian and Belarusian athletes, the path to Milan-Cortina remains steep. Since the war against Ukraine began in 2022, many have faced bans from major sports, including cross-country skiing and biathlon. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and International Biathlon Union (IBU) continue to enforce their prohibitions, making qualification a formidable challenge. As Pierre Ducrey, the IOC’s Olympic Games operations director, explained, “Some of the federations have not opened the door themselves to the participation of AIN athletes. So we’ll have to work with those which still have a decision to make or have made a decision. This is the case, for example, of the Skating Union federation, the Ski Mountaineering Federation… So we are working closely with them to understand where are possibilities to still qualify for the Games moving forward.”
The impact of these restrictions is already apparent. Russian figure skaters Adeliia Petrosian, 18, and Viktoriia Safonova have secured their places at the 2026 Winter Olympics as AINs—Petrosian by winning a qualifying event in Beijing, and Safonova by climbing from seventh to fourth with a gritty performance. Both will compete in Milan-Cortina under the neutral banner, joining a select group of their compatriots who have managed to navigate the IOC’s labyrinthine criteria.
Yet, for many Russian athletes, uncertainty reigns. The Russian national teams are pressing ahead with full Olympic build-ups, holding training camps abroad in countries like Turkey and Italy in preparation for a Games that remains tantalizingly just out of reach for some. Russian ski president Jelena Välbe has confirmed that 30–40% of all training camps will be held outside Russia, a strategy designed to keep their athletes sharp and ready should qualification windows open. Saveliy Korostelev, considered by some to be the next Alexander Bolshunov, is among those hopefuls. As Russian Olympic legend Alexander Legkov told Odds.ru, “We just have to hope we’ll be allowed to compete in the Olympics. But it’s not just wishful thinking. It’s going to happen; it’s just a matter of how long it will take. People are talking about next year, and things are moving, but no specific details. Maybe it will only be one athlete per event in Milan? Let’s hope it will be two, three, or four. Neutral status means nothing; what matters is that they get to compete.”
Meanwhile, more than 80 athletes born in Russia competed for other nations at the Paris Games, highlighting the complex web of national allegiances and the far-reaching impact of the ongoing bans. The IOC’s requirements remain unyielding: athletes must have undergone sufficient doping testing, have no military affiliations, and must not have supported the war. The Norwegian athletes’ committee, among others, has voiced support for the IOC’s hard line. “I want them to hold the same line and not allow any form of Russian involvement for those athletes who aren’t connected to the regime and are coming to the Games,” said Norwegian athlete Nedregotten. “As soon as a team from Russia appears, it quickly becomes very symbolic of what’s happening. Individual athletes are a bit different.”
The IOC’s policy has not gone without criticism, especially as calls grow to ban Israeli athletes in response to the Gaza conflict. However, IOC President Kirsty Coventry was clear when pressed on the issue: “This executive board and in no other executive board have we discussed not having NOCs (National Olympic Committees) represented.” The IOC maintains that Israel has not breached the Olympic Charter in the way Russia did with its actions in Ukraine, and thus no ban is under consideration.
Security concerns are also front and center for the 2026 Games, especially after recent pro-Palestinian protests disrupted the Spanish Vuelta cycling event. Coventry assured the public, “The priority for the organizing committee, for the host country, and for the IOC is to ensure safety of all our athletes and fans, and anyone that comes into contact with the Games and those processes have not been changed and they will continue as per normal.”
With the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics set to run from February 6 to 22, 2026, across northern Italy, the world will be watching closely to see how these policies play out on the grandest of sporting stages. Whether the spirit of competition can truly transcend politics remains to be seen, but for now, the IOC is standing firm on its rules—no teams, no flags, no anthems, but a chance for individual excellence to shine through, even in the most turbulent of times.
