The Winter Olympics 2026 will take place in Milan-Cortina, Italy from February 6-22. The event will feature athletes from around the world competing in various winter sports. However, some Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from participating due to their countries' involvement in the war in Ukraine.
In total, 20 competitors from Russia and Belarus are set to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) at Milan-Cortina across eight sports. However, four of the 13 Russian athletes approved to compete have links to activity supporting the war in Ukraine, according to evidence seen by BBC Sport.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has established strict conditions for these athletes, including that they must not have actively supported the war and not be contracted to the military. The IOC also requires them to undergo a rigorous vetting process before being allowed to compete.
Some of the Russian athletes who have been linked to pro-war activity include Savelii Korostelev, Kseniia Korzhova, and Petr Gumennik. They will be competing as Individual Neutral Athletes at Milan-Cortina, which means they will be representing their countries but without the support of the Russian flag or national anthem.
The Winter Olympics 2026 will feature a range of sports, including alpine skiing, figure skating, speed skating, and ice hockey. The event is expected to attract a large crowd and provide opportunities for athletes from around the world to compete at the highest level.
In total, 20 competitors from Russia and Belarus are set to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) at Milan-Cortina across eight sports. However, four of the 13 Russian athletes approved to compete have links to activity supporting the war in Ukraine, according to evidence seen by BBC Sport.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has established strict conditions for these athletes, including that they must not have actively supported the war and not be contracted to the military. The IOC also requires them to undergo a rigorous vetting process before being allowed to compete.
Some of the Russian athletes who have been linked to pro-war activity include Savelii Korostelev, Kseniia Korzhova, and Petr Gumennik. They will be competing as Individual Neutral Athletes at Milan-Cortina, which means they will be representing their countries but without the support of the Russian flag or national anthem.
The Winter Olympics 2026 will feature a range of sports, including alpine skiing, figure skating, speed skating, and ice hockey. The event is expected to attract a large crowd and provide opportunities for athletes from around the world to compete at the highest level.
, athletes have to take a stand on their countries' actions but still get to compete? Not fair 
. Maybe they should just sit out instead of going through all that vetting nonsense 
. And what's with the Individual Neutral Athletes thing? Sounds like a fancy way of saying "we can't really hold you accountable" 
.
the Winter Olympics 2026 r goin down in Milan-Cortina Italy! But let's be real, how can u even have Russia & Belarus participating w/ those countries' history on the Ukraine war? 
. It's still gonna b weird seein them compete as Individual Neutral Athletes tho... does anyone else think its just a fancy way of sayin " we don't wanna be held accountable for what ur country did"? 
Still can't wait to watch the alpine skiing & figure skating events tho! 
... it's kinda cool that we're seeing more Neutral Athletes competing, I guess it's a compromise between fair play and politics 
. But I'm not sure if it's enough to really level the playing field for all the athletes who got banned 
. And what about the athletes themselves? Are they even okay with representing their countries without the national flag and anthem? 
. Anyway, I'm just hoping for some epic skiing and ice hockey action at Milan-Cortina 
It feels like the IOC is just giving in to pressure from the West. What's next, letting Belarusian athletes compete without any strings attached? 
and what's really weird is they get to wear their national team jerseys but cant even proudly wave the russian flag 
, its like they gotta do this vetting process but also got these linkz 2 war stuff 
... maybe IOC is just tryin 2 find a balance between fairness & politics 
?