Russian and Belarusian athletes are expected to participate in the upcoming Olympic Games in Milan, says Kirsty Coventry, the new President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Source: Ski-nordique.net, as reported by Champion, a sports news platform within Ukrainska Pravda’s holding company

Details: The IOC is yet to make a decision on whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete in the 2026 Winter Games.

The selection criteria for the 2026 Winter Games is expected to be the same as for the 2024 Olympics that took place in Paris; athletes must qualify on sporting merit, prove they actively oppose the war in Ukraine and have no connection to the military forces of their countries.

An expert panel, established in March 2024, has thoroughly examined the profiles of athletes using various sources, including official lists of athletes affiliated with military or security clubs in Russia and Belarus.

Only those confirmed as “neutral individual athletes” were allowed to take part in competitions. This strict approach may well be repeated in 2026.

“We will not rush ahead of the [IOC leadership] meetings in September and December, but we are likely to follow the same direction as in Paris,” Coventry said in a comment to French newspaper L’Équipe.

Background:

A few months ago, Coventry opposed banning Russia, Belarus, and other countries from participating in the Olympic Games due to the war.Coventry, who is from Zimbabwe, is the first-ever female president of the International Olympic Committee and the first African to lead the organisation.

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