Winter Games in Italy
Olympics: Where Russians and Belarusians can qualify
Biathletes with military degrees, but figure skaters under a neutral flag: Who from Russia and Belarus is really allowed to hunt for medals? The associations are struggling with sometimes difficult decisions.
Almost two months before the opening of the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, it is still unclear which athletes from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to return to the big Olympic stage because of the ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. While some world associations have made adjustments following rulings by the Cas Sports Court and allowed starts under a neutral flag, the Biathlon World Association has so far stuck to the exclusion – also because of a special circumstance.
Biathlon: Unlike other disciplines, starters in this sport have to carry a weapon. “That may be a bit polemical,” said communications director Christian Winkler from the International Biathlon Union to the dpa before the World Cup in Annecy-Le Grand-Bornand, France, which begins on Thursday. “But what I would say is that it’s difficult to imagine Ukrainian and Russian athletes standing next to each other with a rifle.”
In addition, potential Russian starters usually have close ties to the army. Some of them even have military ranks. This is also why the IBU is sticking to its position despite the increasing pressure and the request for an accelerated procedure from the Russian association, confirms Winkler: “It is their right to go before the Cas. But we are quite calm because we are prepared and we also believe that we have good arguments. Our decision was made based on our constitution.”
Nordic and alpine skiing: According to a ruling by the Cas, the first ski athletes from Russia and Belarus were recently admitted to qualifying competitions. The ski and snowboard association Fis published a list of names who can now take part in events as neutral athletes in order to qualify for the games.
Cross-country skiers and combined skiers are also represented in the list, which was updated again on Monday. There is a special feature in the Nordic Combined, where it is all about men. Women are not eligible for the Olympics in this sport.
Speed skating: In December 2024, the world association ISU set the admission criteria for the first four World Cups that are considered Olympic qualification. A total of three athletes from Belarus and five from Russia started. In addition to qualifying times, quota places based on the discipline ranking in the World Cup are required for participation in the Olympics.
Figure skating: Pjotr Gumennik (Russia), Adelija Petrosyan (Russia) and Viktoria Safonova (Belarus) secured quota places in a qualifying competition in Beijing in September and have already been confirmed by the International Olympic Committee as participants under a neutral flag. Pair skaters and ice dancers were not allowed to compete in the qualifying event in China. President Andreas Wagner of the German Ice Skating Union said: “If the decision had been made now to continue to exclude them completely, I could have lived with it. Because I think the situation hasn’t really changed. (…) Now the door has been opened for athletes who you believe you can judge and who are clean, so to speak.”
Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton: Following a review process led by the IBSF AIN Task Force and with the support of Sportradar, the Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Federation (IBSF) published on December 12th a list of individual neutral athletes (AIN) who are permitted to compete in IBSF competitions with immediate effect. However, only in the women’s monobob and the skeleton. There are a male and female bobsledder, seven skeleton athletes, five trainers and technicians plus a doctor and three officials.
Since the test competition in the Cortina d’Ampezzo Eugenio Monti Sliding Center, three women and three men have taken part in the single-seater competition. However, some of them have now been taken out of the race at the World Cup in Lake Placid because there are apparently new clues. Qualification is based on a points system.
Ice hockey: The national teams of Russia and Belarus were completely banned from Olympic competition by the IOC. The world association IIHF follows this recommendation. Some top cracks will be missing from the tournament, in which the stars from the North American NHL league are taking part again this time.
Curling: Here too, the ban applies to teams from both countries.
dpa
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