The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Milano-Cortina were the first Paralympic Games with participation of Russian athletes under their national flag: six Russian and four Belarusian athletes were allowed after the International Paralympic Committee lifted its suspension of the two nations in September, which caused protests before and during the event.
However, the same did not happen with the 2026 Winter Olympic Games one month earlier, as IOC still bans both countries since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. An exception was made - as it happened in Paris too - with individual athletes who participated under a neutral flag, and 13 Russian athletes participated in the Games in Milano-Cortina; one of them, Nikita Filippov, won a silver medal in the ski mountaineering event.
However, this only allowed athletes from individual sports to compete, effectively banning team sports like ice hockey. IOC also required athletes who wished to participate as neutral to demonstrate that they don't actively support the war.
As a result, 116 Russian athletes were unable to compete in Milan-Cortina. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) decided this week to award monetary bonuses to all Olympic athletes who were unable to travel to the Games "due to treacherous political decisions", explained Russian Sports Minister and ROC chairman Mikhail Degtyarev.
"The Ministry of Sport and the Russian Olympic Committee are doing everything possible to ensure the full return of the Russian national team to international competitions under the national flag and with the national anthem. Where necessary, we negotiate; where that fails, we defend the athletes' rights in court so that our team can compete for medals with a full roster."