Winter Olympics: 13 Russian Athletes Under Neutral Status

A total of 13 Russian athletes have been approved to compete as neutral athletes at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed invitations for the alpine skiing and luge events, the Associated Press reports. The number is minuscule compared to Russia's delegation at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, when more than 200 athletes competed under the ROC logo, just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The invasion launched by Russia in February 2022 led to the almost total exclusion of Russian athletes from international competitions, a measure also applied to the Olympics. Exceptions are strictly limited to individual sports and only for athletes who meet strict neutrality criteria.

In addition to the 13 Russian athletes, seven Belarusian athletes have been invited to compete in the Winter Olympics, which begin on February 6.

• No flag, anthem or opening parade

The Russians and Belarusians accepted into the competition will not compete under their national colors, will not have a flag or anthem, and will not participate in the opening ceremony parade. Neutral athlete status is granted by the IOC only to those who have not publicly supported the war against Ukraine and who do not have contractual ties to the state's military or security agencies. In alpine skiing, two Russian athletes and one Belarusian athlete have been invited to compete, but with no real podium prospects. Yulia Pleshkova has competed in three World Cup events this season, with her best result being 40th in the downhill. She is due to compete later this week in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Belarusians Simon Efimov and Maria Shkanova are competing in the slalom, but neither has qualified for the second leg of a World Cup race this month. In luge, the IOC confirmed invitations for Russians Daria Olesik and Pavel Repilov, who will compete on the Cortina track. Olesik became the first Russian athlete to compete in a World Cup luge race in nearly four years last month, competing in Lake Placid, United States. Repilov has a silver medal in the men's individual event at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne.

Russia's best chance of a medal at this Olympics is with skaters Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik, who remain excluded from team sports. Ice hockey, Russia's flagship sport, is once again absent, as it was at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

• From ROC to AIN: Neutrality, Rebranded

At Beijing 2022, Russian athletes won 32 medals, including five gold, competing under the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) logo, a neutral formula imposed as a sanction following the state doping scandal. At Milano-Cortina, the accepted athletes will compete under the AIN (Individual Neutral Athletes) logo, a new symbol of Russia's sporting isolation on the international stage.

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