FIS Approves 9 Russian, Belarusian Athletes as Neutrals for 2026 Olympics

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation approved nine athletes from Russia and Belarus on Wednesday to compete as neutral individuals in qualifying events for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, marking their return to international competition after nearly four years of exclusion due to the military invasion of Ukraine.

The decision clears three Russian skiers and six from Belarus to participate in World Cup races and other qualifiers leading to the Games, scheduled for February 6 to 22 in Italy. Among them are prominent figures such as Belarusian freestyle skier Hanna Huskova, who won gold in women's aerials at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and silver at the 2022 Beijing Games. Russia's Anastasia Tatalina, a 2021 world champion in women's ski big air, finished fourth in freeski slopestyle at Beijing and also competed in Pyeongchang. Russian cross-country skiers Savelii Korostelev and Dariya Nepryaeva, both former world junior champions, received approval ahead of this weekend's World Cup events in Davos, Switzerland.

The other approved Belarusian athletes include Anastasiya Andryianava, Anna Derugo, Ihar Drabiankou, Maria Shkanova and Uladzislau Vazniuk. FIS did not...