The International Olympic Committee has approved the participation of select individual athletes from Russia and Belarus as neutral competitors at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February. Similar to the criteria applied at the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024, a panel screened qualified individual athletes from these countries, resulting in the approval of 32 athletes from 10 different sports to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in Paris.
However, teams composed of Russian or Belarusian athletes will not be permitted to compete at the upcoming Winter Olympics. IOC president Kirsty Coventry reiterated the importance of ensuring fairness and upholding certain standards, indicating that the decision to maintain the existing protocols was made after thorough discussions.
Eligibility for competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete includes not actively supporting Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and undergoing screening for affiliations with military or national security entities. Athletes approved under this status will compete under the Individual Neutral Athlete flag and will not have their country’s anthem played if they achieve medal success.
While some sports federations, like the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and the International Luge Federation, have already announced that they will not allow Russian athletes to compete as neutral athletes at the 2026 Games, the IOC recently expressed concerns regarding conflicts worldwide impacting sports competitions.
The IOC has established a working group to ensure that the organization, the Olympic Games, and sports remain politically neutral, aligning with the mission to unite the world through peaceful athletic competition.
In other news, the upcoming L.A. Olympics in 2028 will introduce two additional weightlifting bodyweight categories for both men and women to discourage extreme weight reduction practices and align more closely with the categories used in world championships. Despite these changes, the overall quota of 60 female and 60 male weightlifters across six bodyweight categories per gender will remain unchanged.
As preparations for the Milan-Cortina Games progress, questions have arisen about the timeline for completing the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which is set to host various hockey events during the Olympics. Organizers are closely monitoring the construction schedule and aim to deliver the venue in time for the games, despite the tight deadlines.