According to committee chairman Kirsty Coventry, the criteria will be the same already applied at the Paris Olympic Games
It announced it on Friday (19) that athletes from Russia and Belarus will be able to participate in the Milan-Cortin 2026 Winter Games, but only under neutral flag and in strict conditions, as happened in Paris 2024.
According to IOC President Kirsty Coventry, the criteria will be the same as that already applied at the Paris Olympic Games: participation will be individual, without any national symbol, and restricted to athletes who have no bonds with the army or expressed public support for the invasion of Ukraine.
Coventry stated that the decision seeks to ensure the overall representativeness of the Olympic movement. “It is better for our movement to ensure that all athletes are represented,” he said. In Paris Games, 25 Russian and Belarussian athletes competed under neutral flag, winning five medals – a result that pleased Coi for avoiding boycott, especially from Ukraine and allied countries.
The definition of the size of the delegations in Milan, between February 6 and 22, 2026, will now be up to the international federations responsible for the classifications. Some of them, however, continue to impose restrictions: the International Ski Federation (FIS), Biatlo and Luge continue to ban the presence of Russians and Belarusians, while the International Skating Federation allows only one athlete per nation in each modality.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Sarah Paula
