The International Olympic Committee is considering a scenario where athletes from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to participate in the 2026 Winter Games only as "neutrals." As IOC President Kirsty Coventry stated, the participation criteria will be as strict as for the Paris Olympics: no support for the war, no ties to the army or security forces, writes UNN with reference to SkiNordique.
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not yet made a final decision regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, but is tentatively ready to follow the same logic as for Paris-2024.
We will not rush for the meetings in September and December, but will likely move in the same direction as in Paris
To participate in the Paris Olympics, athletes from these two countries had to meet strict criteria: qualify for the sporting event, prove that they do not actively support the war in Ukraine, and have no ties to the military.
An expert group, established in March, thoroughly checked their profiles based on various sources, including official lists of athletes associated with military or security clubs published in Russia and Belarus.
Only those approved as "neutral individual athletes" were allowed to compete. Such a strict approach may well be repeated in 2026.