CAS Overturns FIS Ban on Russian, Belarusian Skiers for 2026 Qualifiers

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Tuesday that skiers and snowboarders from Russia and Belarus can participate in qualification events for the 2026 Winter Olympics as individual neutral athletes, overturning a blanket ban imposed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. The decision, which applies to athletes meeting International Olympic Committee criteria, comes nearly four years after both nations' competitors were excluded from most international events following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The ruling combined separate appeals filed by the Russian Ski Association, representing 12 Russian athletes and para-athletes along with the Russian Paralympic Committee, and by the Belarusian Ski Union on behalf of five Belarusian athletes. Both groups argued that the FIS's October resolution barring their participation violated the federation's statutes on political neutrality and nondiscrimination. CAS judges found the ban constituted a discriminatory exclusion based on nationality, regardless of individual eligibility for neutral status. The panel upheld requests to allow qualifying athletes to compete under neutral conditions, including for...