'Russians & Belarusians should compete in qualifiers'
The 2026 Winter Olympics take place from 6-22 February
- Published
Athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to compete in qualifying events for next year's Winter Olympics if they meet the International Olympic Committee's criteria for neutral athletes, says the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In October the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) council voted against Russian and Belarusians participating in its qualification events for the Games in Milan and Cortina, which start on 6 February.
The Russian Ski Association (RSF), the Belarusian Ski Union (BSU) and 17 athletes from the countries appealed against the decision to Cas.
"Both Cas panels ruled that Russian and Belarusian athletes who meet the International Olympic Committee AIN (individual neutral athletes) eligibility criteria should be allowed to participate in FIS qualification events," Cas said in a statement.
Cas said it partially upheld the appeals.
"Requests by the BSU on how to establish and apply AIN criteria were dismissed, as they remain under FIS remit," it said.
Athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports have been banned from many sports since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In September the IOC said it would allow neutral athletes to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics under the same conditions they did at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but that the final decision would rest with individual sports federations.
Last year 15 neutral Russians and 17 neutral Belarusians accepted an invitation to compete in Paris on the condition that they did so without flags, emblems or anthems of their country.
Three figure skaters - two Russians and one Belarusian - have been cleared by the IOC to take part in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the first athletes from their countries to be invited.
In September the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) voted to lift partial suspensions, meaning Russians and Belarusians could compete under their own flag at the Paralympics and World Para-sport events.
The Winter Paralympics take place from 6-15 March.
