Olympics
A recent decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reopened the possibility of participation for Russian athletes in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. The CAS ruling for luge athletes could force the hand of both the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the International Biathlon Union (IBU). On Friday, October 31, CAS ruled that the International Luge Federation (FIL) must allow Russian athletes to be assessed for neutral status after previously being excluded. The move could have far-reaching implications for skiing, biathlon and other winter disciplines.
CAS partially upheld appeals from the Russian Luge Federation and six athletes, stating that while the existing ban on all Russian participants in FIL events remains for now, the blanket exclusion of Russians who could qualify as Individual Athletes Neutral (AIN) must be set aside. In essence: Russian athletes could compete, provided they meet neutrality criteria set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), aka hold no pro-invasion public positions and have no ties to military/state security agencies. FIL had argued those athletes posed a “risk of incidents” if permitted to compete. CAS disagreed, opening the door to neutrals.
Separately, CAS rejected one of the Russian appeals—placing skater Daria Kachanova’s request for neutral status on hold due to her ties to the Russian Defence-Ministry-linked sports club CSKA Moscow.
The ruling is significant because FIS and IBU currently maintain strict exclusions. On October 21, FIS voted to block Russian and Belarusian athletes from FIS qualification events for the 2026 Winter Olympics, effectively barring them from Milan-Cortina unless the decision changes. The IBU has sustained a similar ban since 2022, closing off its Olympic pathway for those athletes. This effectively closed the route to compete as AIN for Russian athletes. Russian teams are banned to compete by the IOC and would not benefit from any changes to the FIS or IBU ban.
With CAS now setting a precedent that blanket national bans may be legally vulnerable, both federations face pressure. If FIS does not revise its policy, it risks potential appeals to CAS challenging its exclusion of athletes who could qualify as neutrals. Similarly, the IBU may face rising calls—or legal actions—if it maintains outright exclusion without pathways to AIN status.
For athletes from Russia and Belarus who have trained in exile or entered foreign programs, the decision offers hope. It sends a message that politically-based blanket bans may not stand unchallenged. For the federations, however, it raises complex questions: Can they reconcile the Olympic ideal of political neutrality with host-nation and athlete-safety concerns? Do they risk losing control of their eligibility decisions by having CAS impose revisions?
The path ahead is complicated. FIS President Johan Eliasch had been reported to favour a return of neutrals, but some national member associations rejected that, with some threatening boycotts in the past. With CAS signalling change, the dynamics may shift quickly. If FIS or IBU policies remain rigid, the next step may well be legal challenge rather than press release.
In the run-up to Milan-Cortina 2026, the CAS ruling gives hope to athletes, however leaves them with much uncertainty with less than 100 days until the Olympic Games and only a few months to qualify.
