The International Ski Federation (FIS) has ruled that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be allowed to participate in qualification events for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Milan-Cortina.
The decision, announced on Tuesday following a FIS Council meeting, reinforces the ongoing sporting isolation of the two nations following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Competitors from Russia and Belarus remain banned from FIS events and will not be permitted to compete even under a neutral flag.
“The FIS Council convened this Tuesday and voted not to facilitate the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in FIS qualification events for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games,” the federation said in a statement.
Russia had a strong showing in cross-country skiing at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, winning nearly a third of the medals in that discipline, though they failed to reach the podium in alpine skiing.
Norwegian Olympic champion Johannes Klaebo backed the decision, telling NRK, “I think it’s the right decision. I’ve thought for a while that Russians should not be allowed to compete as long as the war in Ukraine continues.”
The FIS’s stance aligns with that of the international governing bodies for biathlon and luge, which have also excluded Russian and Belarusian athletes from Olympic qualification. In contrast, the governing body for ice skating has allowed athletes from both countries to attempt to qualify.
For the Paralympic Games, scheduled for 6–15 March 2026, FIS has decided not to follow the International Paralympic Committee’s recent move to partially lift the suspension of Russia and Belarus. FIS oversees three of the ten disciplines in the Winter Paralympics.
