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Olympics
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has partially overturned a blanket exclusion on Russian and Belarusian athletes seeking neutral status, potentially allowing a number of them to return to competition ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina, Italy. The ruling only affects individual athletes that can meet the requirement of neutrality while Russian and Belarusian national teams remain barred.
CAS announced on December 2, 2025, that it had upheld two appeals—one by the Russian Ski Federation (RSF) and one by the Belarusian Ski Union (BSU)—against a resolution by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), issued on October 21, 2025. That resolution had refused to “facilitate the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN)” in FIS-qualifying events for 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
CAS found the decision to be a “blanket exclusion” based solely on nationality—a policy that conflicts with FIS’s own statutes demanding political neutrality and non-discrimination. As a result, CAS ruled that eligible Russian and Belarusian athletes must be allowed to participate in FIS qualification events — provided they meet the Neutral Athlete criteria defined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
However, CAS dismissed broader appeals that sought to reinstate all athletes, officials, and support personnel. The ruling applies only to those individuals named in the appeals and who meet the AIN requirements. This means that a path back into competition—under a neutral flag—is now legally validated for certain qualified athletes.
According to the CAS release, the athletes whose appeals were partially upheld include:
- From Russia: Saveliy Korostelev, Lana Prusakova, Maria Travinicheva, Artiom Galunin, Ekaterina Tkachenko, Daniil Sadreev, and the para-athletes Alexey Bugaev, Mikhail Slinkin, Varvara Voronchikhina, Anastasiia Bagagiin, Ivan Golubkov, and Polina Novakovskya.
- From Belarus: Hanna Huskova, Anna Derugo, Anastasiya Andryianava, Ihar Drabiankou, and Uladzislau Vazniuk.
These names are familiar names in the winter-sport circuits: for example, Alexey Bugaev is a successful Russian para-alpine skier and medal contender.Hanna Huskova is a Belarusian Âmoguls athlete, well-known on the World Cup circuit. These individuals now have a legal path to re-enter FIS competitions as neutrals.
It is important to not that the CAS ruling does not guarantee Olympic qualification; athletes must still earn quota spots, meet performance criteria, and be cleared under IOC neutrality rules. Furthermore, the ruling only covers the named athletes (and para-athletes) who filed appeals and does not extend to all Russian or Belarusian competitors. In other words, while it opens the door for a handful of athletes, it stops far short of a wholesale reinstatement of pre-2022 conditions.
The ruling places pressure on federations like FIS and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) to revisit their blanket bans. If they choose to maintain their policies, they risk further legal challenges, especially from athletes who qualify under neutral criteria.
Reinstating a limited number of individual Russian or Belarusian athletes may provoke backlash from national ski associations or governments wary of sports politicization. For now, many federations are likely to tread carefully—and the real test will come over the next few days and weeks as qualification races are currently happening, and the first AIN applications will be filed.
