The Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina will be one of the first major sporting events of 2026, between February 6-22. Kirsty Coventry, IOC President, gave an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, and revealed the the ban on Russian and Belarusians athletes won't be lifted even if a peace treaty is signed between Russia and Ukraine, following a meeting between Trump and Zelensky in Florida where the US President said peace is "closer than ever".
Coventry confirmed that, at this stage, nothing would change the Committee's decision (via Reuters).
Since 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to take part in the Olympic Games only as individuals representing themselves, without national flag or anthem.
Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed, but only in individual sports
In Paris 2024, 15 Russian athletes and 17 Belarusian athletes took part in the Summer Olympic Games, under the status of neutral individual athletes. However, this rule effectively means that only athletes from individual sports can compete in the Games, which is collateral and unfair side effect of the rule nobody seemed interested in solving.
Months ago, we reported that Russian officials tried to convince the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to allow their Russian team to participate, but they were not allowed.