The council of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation has decided against permitting athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the qualifiers for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. This ruling, made in Oberhofen, Switzerland, by the FIS council, will prevent Russian skiers and snowboarders from competing in numerous events at the Games in February.
While the International Olympic Committee allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as “Individual Neutral Athletes,” following their participation in the Paris Olympics last year, the decision regarding their eligibility lies with the respective international federations governing each sport. FIS, which has prohibited the national teams of Russia and Belarus since 2022, has opted not to allow neutral athletes to participate in its events.
The exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes extends to Paralympic events overseen by FIS, despite the International Paralympic Committee reinstating full membership for Russia and Belarus just last month.
This development occurs shortly before the commencement of the first alpine skiing World Cup event of the season, a women’s giant slalom in Austria. Although Russia does not typically dominate in top alpine skiing competitions, it boasts strong performances in cross-country skiing and has been successful in disciplines such as snowboard slalom, ski jumping, and freestyle skiing.
The potential for conflict between FIS and predominantly northern European countries, where many of its World Cup events are hosted, loomed large had Russian athletes been allowed to compete as neutrals. This decision aligns with FIS’s previous stance when, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it initially permitted Russian skiers to compete without national symbols before reversing course due to objections from countries like Norway.
FIS, as the largest of the nine international sports federations overseeing Olympic sports, will oversee almost half of the medals awarded at the Milan-Cortina Games. With Russian athletes excluded from ski events, the number of neutral athletes participating in the Games could be minimal.
So far, only the governing bodies for ice skating and ski mountaineering have facilitated pathways for Russian athletes to qualify. Sports like hockey and biathlon have maintained their bans on Russian participation. A few Russian and Belarusian figure skaters have qualified as neutrals, with the possibility of more in speed skating through upcoming qualifiers. Only one Russian athlete has secured a spot in ski mountaineering as a confirmed neutral participant, a stark contrast to the significant representation by Russian athletes at the 2022 Olympics.