Last week, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ruled that the International Skiing and Snowboarding Federation (FIS) must admit Russian and Belarusian neutral participants to its World Cups, giving them the opportunity to qualify for the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February.
DN explains here how the process works.
How does an athlete get neutral status?
First, a report must be made to a specific email address.
In order for the athlete to be reviewed by an appointed Fis panel, he must meet the criteria published by Fis (following the Cas decision) (see below). An external group first investigates whether the requirements are met.
The Fis panel that then makes the decision consists of General Secretary Michael Vion, an independent expert on sports integrity, and a Fis administrator, who is responsible for presenting the external panel’s report as well as the athlete’s anti-doping status.
Fis must notify the athlete within 30 days of the application. Some cases can be more complicated and answers can take time, while others can take just a couple of days, according to Fi’s communications manager Bruno Sassi.
Fis can withdraw approval as neutral if violations of the rules are discovered.
What requirements must be met?
● The athlete must not have any connection with the Russian or Belarusian military or any other national security service.
● The athlete must not communicate (verbally, non-verbally or in writing) about symbols associated with Russia or Belarus or the National Ski Federations, such as the countries’ flags, national anthems or other types of emblems.
● The athlete must also not have in any way supported the war in Ukraine, since Russia’s invasion. This applies, for example, to participation in events for the war or official statements in the media (this includes interviews as well as own social media posts as well as posts forwarded by others) or having used pro-war symbols such as the letter Z.
● The athlete must comply with all anti-doping regulations.
Who is Savelij Korostelev?
As soon as an athlete is approved as neutral, the name will be published on Fi’s website. Cross-country skier Savelij Korostelev was one of the 12 athletes included in Russia’s appeal to Cas. He may be one of the first to be approved, according to Expressen. The newspaper writes that the 22-year-old won a mass start in the Russian Cup on Sunday and would then be flown directly to Davos, with the hope of being approved to compete in the weekend’s World Cup there.
Korostelev won the 10 km classic in the Junior World Championships the day after the Russian invasion. During the same championship, he also won the relay with the Russian team and was second in the three mile.
How can Russians be qualified for the World Cup?
Russian and Belarusian skiers have had their so-called Fis points protected, while the national federations have been suspended from competition. The Fis points are protected until June 2026, according to a decision by the Fis board.
Russia retains its six starting places in the World Cup for cross-country skiing.
Can the host country of the competition say no?
A nation’s entry rules trump Cas and Fi’s decisions. This means that athletes may be turned away by countries that refuse entry to Russian and Belarusian citizens. Italy does not have a general entry ban, which means that it is not an obstacle to Olympic participation. However, visas are required and Italy’s visa center announces on its website that high pressure now prevails and that an application can take over 40 days to process, which raises questions for possibly approved neutral Russian cross-country skiers for the new year’s Tour de Ski.
How many Russians can there be in the Olympics?
Each Fis branch has its own quota rules. In terms of cross-country skiing, a maximum of 148 men and 148 women can be registered. 138 of the places have already been allocated. The other 10 are to be distributed among other things to nations that have not yet qualified based on nation ranking – at most in men’s and in opportunity
What does this mean for Sweden?
The Swedish ladies have already received the maximum number of quota places – 8, while the Swedish men – today 7 places – are second in line (after Norway) to get a last place. It can now go to a Russian skier instead.
