Is Russia Participating in the Olympics?
Given their continued involvement as aggressors in the Russia-Ukraine War, neither Russia nor Belarus will be represented as a nation at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. However, approved athletes from those countries will be permitted to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (referred to as AIN, from the French athlètes individuels neutres), an official designation that serves to distance the athlete from their country of origin.
Russia, Belarus, and the Olympic ban
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which occurred shortly after the conclusion of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Russia and Belarus from Olympic competition. The IOC declared that Russia and its ally Belarus had breached the Olympic Truce, a United Nations-backed agreement calling on nations to refrain from armed conflict from one week before the Olympic Games until one week after the conclusion of the Paralympic Games. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which governs the Paralympics, quickly affirmed this stance, and athletes from both countries were barred from participating in the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games that March.
Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, it was announced that a limited number of Russian and Belarusian athletes would be invited to compete as AINs, subject to approval by the IOC and their sport’s respective international federations. In total, 32 neutral athletes holding Russian or Belarusian passports competed in individual events at the Paris Games. Similarly, nearly 100 Russian and Belarusian athletes participated as Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) at the Paris Paralympics that year.
As of mid-January 2026, the total number of AINs participating at the Milano Cortina Games has yet to be finalized as qualification events and eligibility approvals remain ongoing. Russian athlete Nikita Filippov has accepted his AIN invitation to compete in ski mountaineering, a sport making its Olympic debut. Belarusian freestyle skier Hanna Huskova, who won a gold medal at the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and a silver medal at Beijing in 2022, is also expected to compete. In late 2025 the International Paralympic Committee voted to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games under their own flags; however, given that athletes from those countries were barred by individual sporting federations from qualification events, no Russian or Belarusian athletes qualified for the Winter Games.
How do athletes qualify as Individual Neutral Athletes?
To qualify as an AIN, athletes must first meet the established Olympics qualification standards for their sport, just like any other athlete. These standards include adherence to international anti-doping regulations, an area of heightened scrutiny after Russia was barred from competing under its national flag at the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games because of state-sponsored doping violations. Given that AINs are only permitted to compete in individual events, teams of athletes, such as those for ice hockey or curling, are ineligible. Qualifying athletes are proposed to the IOC for consideration by their sport’s international federation, and an independent panel then reviews each athlete’s eligibility. In this case, considerations include background checks that investigate whether the athlete has “actively supported” the Russia-Ukraine War or has been contracted to Russian or Belarusian military or security agencies. Suitable athletes are formally invited by the IOC to participate as AINs.
AINs are not permitted to march in the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremony, and national flags or symbols from Russia or Belarus are strictly prohibited. When an AIN wins a medal, the medal ceremony features the teal AIN flag, and an instrumental anthem is played instead of the Russian or Belarusian national anthem. In addition, the athlete’s medal is not included on the official medal table, which ranks countries’ performances during the Games.
