Three figure skaters hailing from Russia and Belarus, including a promising Olympic gold medal contender, were granted permission by the International Olympic Committee on Thursday to participate as neutrals at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Games scheduled for February. Among them is 18-year-old Adeliia Petrosian, who demonstrated her medal potential in the women’s singles category by emerging victorious at an Olympic qualifying event in Beijing held in September.
Petr Gumennik, the reigning Russian singles champion, clinched the men’s event in Beijing two months ago, while Viktoriia Safonova of Belarus secured the fourth position behind Petrosian. The IOC confirmed the approval of neutral status for these athletes. Notably, the Beijing qualifying competition marked the first instance where Russians were permitted by the International Skating Union to compete in one of its figure skating events following the commencement of the full military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, just four days post the conclusion of the Beijing Olympics.
The IOC is engaged in its own scrutiny process to authorize Russian and Belarusian athletes for neutral status to partake in Milan-Cortina, akin to the procedure adopted before the 2024 Paris Summer Games. To meet the eligibility criteria, individual athletes must not have overtly supported the invasion of Ukraine or have affiliations with Russian or Belarusian military and state security entities. Additionally, the figure skaters are required to accept their individual invitations and pledge to uphold the Olympic Charter, as stated by the IOC.
Petrosian stands out as the latest prominent skater nurtured under the guidance of coach Eteri Tutberidze, whose presence stirred controversy during the Beijing Olympics.