Strict Sanctions Limit Russian Participation to Neutral Status at Winter Games

2026-02-07 global

Milan, Saturday, 7 February 2026.
Only 20 Russian and Belarusian athletes compete neutrally under a teal flag, a drastic reduction from 2022, as strict sanctions exclude their medals from the official count.

Geopolitical Strains Reshape the Olympic Roster

As the Milano Cortina Winter Games officially commenced with the opening ceremony on February 6, 2026, the impact of ongoing geopolitical friction was immediately visible in the athlete procession [3]. While the event hosts approximately 2,900 competitors from over 90 National Olympic Committees [7], the delegation from Russia and Belarus is virtually absent. Following the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to suspend Russia and Belarus due to the invasion of Ukraine and breaches of the Olympic Charter [2][5], athletes from these nations are competing solely as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) [1]. This designation, derived from the French “Athlète Individuel Neutre” [5], strips competitors of their national identity, prohibiting the use of flags, anthems, and official federation uniforms [1]. The AIN delegation was notably excluded from the Parade of Nations during yesterday’s opening ceremony [4], underscoring the severity of the sanctions maintained by global sporting bodies.

A Drastic Reduction in Participation

The shift to neutral status has precipitated a collapse in representation for two nations that are traditionally winter sports powerhouses. Data confirms that only 20 athletes—13 from Russia and 7 from Belarus—qualified to compete under the AIN banner across eight disciplines [2][4]. This represents a staggering decline in participation when analyzed against historical data. In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, 200 Russian athletes competed under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) designation [2]. Consequently, the Russian contingent has seen a reduction of 93.5 percent in athlete volume for the 2026 Games. The qualified cohort includes six Russian men and seven Russian women, alongside seven Belarusian women [1]. Among the few approved to compete is Belarusian freestyle skier Hanna Huskova, a gold medalist from 2018 and silver medalist from 2022 [1], and Russian figure skaters Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik, who are viewed as significant medal contenders [6].

Strict Vetting and the Economics of Eligibility

The pathway to Milano Cortina for these few competitors involved a rigorous vetting process designed to ensure political neutrality. The Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel (AINERP), which included figures such as Pau Gasol, evaluated athletes to ensure they had not actively supported the war in Ukraine or maintained contracts with Russian or Belarusian military and security agencies [1][5]. This strict adherence to neutrality creates a distinct class of participation where the athletes are isolated from their national sporting infrastructure. Furthermore, while the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the International Luge Federation (FIL) initially imposed bans, these were overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), allowing limited participation in those specific disciplines [2]. However, the ban on team sports remains absolute, meaning there is no representation for Russia or Belarus in high-profile events such as ice hockey or curling [2][8].

Impact on the Medal Count and Legacy

The sanctions extend beyond the field of play to the official record-keeping of the Games. The IOC has mandated that any medals won by AIN athletes will be excluded from the official medal count [1][8]. If an AIN athlete secures a gold medal, a wordless anthem commissioned by the IOC will be played instead of a national anthem [4]. This policy aims to maintain the event as a “neutral ground” while enforcing the diplomatic isolation of the Russian and Belarusian states [2]. The absence of Russian teams is particularly acute in men’s ice hockey, where the Russian team secured silver in 2022 and gold in 2018 [1]. Although NHL players have returned to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, Russian superstars such as Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin remain excluded due to the ban on their national team [4]. Ultimately, while 92 countries vie for position on the official table [1], the achievements of these 20 neutral athletes will remain statistically orphaned from their nations’ sporting histories.

Sources

Sanctions Winter Olympics