Nine skiers, comprising three from Russia and six from Belarus, have been given the green light to participate in the qualifying events for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February. The athletes, including former Olympic and world champions, were previously excluded due to the military invasion of Ukraine but are now set to make their comeback, potentially in Davos, Switzerland, in the coming days.
Savelii Korostelev, a former world junior cross-country ski champion, hinted at his return by posting “debut this weekend” on his social media platforms. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) confirmed that the applications of the nine skiers have been approved, granting them neutral athlete status and allowing them to compete for the first time since February 2022.
While FIS did not disclose any rejections or the exact number of applications received, the Russian ski federation mentioned that six of their athletes had sought neutral status. However, further scrutiny from the International Olympic Committee is required before these qualified athletes can be formally invited to the Winter Games scheduled to commence on February 6. IOC guidelines mandate that athletes competing as neutrals must not have shown support for the war publicly and must have no affiliations with military or state security entities.
Among the title-winning athletes cleared for participation are freestyle skier Hanna Huskova, who clinched gold in women’s aerials for Belarus at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and silver at the Beijing Games four years later. Anastasia Tatalina, a Big Air world champion for Russia in 2021, secured fourth place in freeski slopestyle at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and also competed in Pyeongchang.
Additionally, Russian cross-country skiers Korostelev and Dariya Nepryaeva have received neutral status ahead of the World Cup races set to take place in Davos this weekend. Notably, both athletes claimed world junior titles on February 25, 2022, just one day after the onset of the war in Norway. Prior to this, Nepryaeva’s older sister, Natalya, departed the Beijing Winter Games with a notable haul of gold, silver, and bronze medals in cross-country skiing.
A recent court ruling in favor of the Russian ski federation and its athletes at the Court of Arbitration for Sport compelled FIS to begin processing applications for neutral status. Nevertheless, Russian athletes and team officials may encounter visa-related challenges when traveling to countries hosting qualifying events for various skiing disciplines.
FIS emphasized that the approved athletes must formally accept the conditions associated with the Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) status designated by the IOC. The governing body for ski and snowboard sports indicated that more decisions regarding neutral athletes will be forthcoming in the following days and weeks. It is anticipated that the contingent of Russian athletes competing in Italy in February will be substantially smaller than the delegation that attended the Beijing Winter Games, which boasted over 200 athletes and garnered 32 medals, including five gold.