Three Russian and six Belarusian athletes have been cleared by the FIS to compete in qualifying competitions for the 2026 Winter Games. More names are likely to follow.
10.12.2025, 13:13
10.12.2025, 13:29
SDA
In addition to five Belarusian freestyle skiers such as Hanna Huskova, who was crowned Olympic champion in the aerials discipline in Pyeongchang in 2018, two Russian cross-country skiers are also on the list. In all likelihood, Darya Nepryaeva and Zavyeli Korostelev will be competing in Davos next weekend.
In October, the FIS had spoken out against Russians and Belarusians taking part in the Olympics due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The Russian ski association took legal action against this - and was proven right.
The CAS ruled that the FIS was bound by the principles of political neutrality and anti-discrimination. The FIS ban constituted an inadmissible blanket exclusion rule based on nationality - regardless of whether the athletes concerned fulfilled the AIN participation criteria (AIN = Athlètes individuel neutres) set by the IOC. Other applications, such as the admission of Russian coaches and officials, were rejected.
Neutral status can be approved for athletes who do not publicly support the military invasion of Ukraine and have no links to the military or state security authorities. The FIS recognized the CAS decision and asked all athletes concerned to apply for AIN status.
