By News18,Rudransh Khurana,Sports Desk
Copyright news18
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics under a neutral banner if they meet some strict conditions.
Russia, one of the most significant sporting nations in history, has not competed under its own flag in the Olympics since 2016 due to a state-sponsored doping scandal. Russian atheletes participated under the Olympic flag in 2018 and the Russian Olympic Committee’s flag at the Tokyo and Beijing Games in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
In last year’s Olympics in Paris, Russian athletes could only take part under a neutral flag and in individual events. They were also required to prove they did not support the war in Ukraine or have links with the military.
“The Executive Board will take the exact same approach that was done in Paris,” said IOC president Kirsty Coventry, refering to the conditions.
The atheletes will be excluded from the opening ceremony for the Milan-Cortina Games, scheduled for February 6-22, and their achievements will not be recognised in the medals table. These sanctions were introduced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and also apply to athletes from Belarus, an ally of Moscow.
The limited presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes in Paris satisfied the Olympic body by including athletes from around the world while avoiding a boycott by Ukraine and its allies.
Only 15 Russians and 17 Belarusians competed in Paris, winning a total of five medals.
The size of the neutral delegation now depends on the international sports federations responsible for the qualification process, some of which continue to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from their competitions.
Russian forces invaded Ukraine shortly after the 2022 Olympics, prompting sanctions from the IOC. Since then, Russia and Belarus have been banned from hosting international competitions, and their flags, anthems, and officials have been prohibited from world sport.
Athletes from these countries were initially excluded “for their own protection,” according to the IOC, but have been gradually reinstated since March 2023.
It remains to be seen how winter sports federations will respond to the IOC’s decision on Friday. Some, such as the International Ski Federation (FIS), which accounts for over half of the Winter Olympics podium places, have maintained a total ban on Russians, while others have been more open.
(With agency inputs)
