Russian, Belarusian athletes cleared to compete in 2026 Winter Olympics under neutral flag
Russian athletes can compete as long as they meet certain guidelines
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Individual Russian and Belarusian athletes have been cleared to compete in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Friday. Those qualified athletes will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes, which was the same policy the IOC implemented for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes will be ineligible to participate while representing their respective country's flag. However, individual athletes can compete under a neutral flag and neutral anthem. On top of that, medals won by those athletes will not be included in a the official medal count, and they will not be included in the parade of delegations at the Opening Ceremony.
As was the case in 2024, the IOC has laid out certain requirements for the Individual Neutral Athletes:
- Athletes and support personnel who have openly expressed support for the war in Ukraine will not be eligible.
- Athletes and support personnel who are contracted by the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies will not be eligible.
- All Individual Neutral Athletes must meet all the proper anti-doping requirements applicable to them.
The eligibility of each Individual Neutral Athlete will be reviewed by a three-member panel, which includes former NBA star and three-time Olympic medalist Pau Gasol.
Teams of Russian and Belarusian athletes remain banned from the 2026 Olympics. That means the Russian hockey team, which won silver in 2022 and gold in 2018, is still ineligible to compete. With the return of the NHL to the Olympics, stars like Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin will have to sit out for what could be their last chance at an Olympic medal.
