IOC Approves Three Neutral Figure Skaters for 2026 Olympics

The International Olympic Committee approved two Russian and one Belarusian figure skater to compete as neutral athletes at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, marking the first clearances for competitors from those nations ahead of the February 6-22 event in Italy.

Petr Gumennik, 23, and Adeliia Petrosian, 18, both from Russia, along with Viktoriia Safonova, 22, from Belarus, qualified for the Games through an International Skating Union event in Beijing last September. The IOC confirmed their eligibility on Thursday following a review by its Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel. The trio's approval signals the start of what is anticipated to be a limited delegation from Russia and Belarus, as individual athletes undergo separate vetting processes.

The Beijing competition represented the first opportunity for Russian skaters to participate in an ISU figure skating event since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, just days after the Beijing Winter Olympics concluded. Gumennik won the men's singles title there, while Petrosian took gold in the women's event, and Safonova finished fourth. To gain neutral status, athletes must...