Peace Deal Won’t Save Russia’s Olympic Status, IOC President Says
The current ban has been in place since 2022
There are always some geopolitical stories floating around the Olympics, and the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina are no different.
However, even though there's a chance some kind of peace deal is struck to end the war in Ukraine before the opening ceremonies, the IOC President Kirsty Coventry says it won't mean that Russian and Belarusian athletes can represent their countries at the Olympics.
"At this stage, nothing would change the Committee’s decision," Coventry told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera (via The New York Post).
However, this doesn't mean that there won't be any athletes from those countries competing. There will be, they'll just be doing so as Individual Neutral Athletes, or AINs. This means they're allowed to compete but will not be able to use their nation's uniforms, anthems, or flags.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Covetry confirmed that a peace deal ending the war in Ukraine would not mean that Russian and Belarusian athletes can represent their countries at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)
If an AIN medals in an event, they will use a special flag specifically for AINs, and there's even an AIN anthem.
However, this does not apply to team sports. For instance, at previous games, Russian teams competed as "Olympic Athletes from Russia" at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, following a widespread doping scandal.
This is a big deal, especially in the men's hockey tournament where the Russians are always a medal threat.
But if you think about it, even if a peace deal were reached right this second, there's no way they could change this decision.
A month out from the Games, you have to assume just about everything is in place (save for the primary hockey venue… that's another issue), and the fields for the bulk of events have been set.
Coventry said that even though the IOC's sanctions against Russia and Belarus are still in place for these games, just as they have been since 2022, the IOC has had conversations with Russia's Olympic officials.
"The channel is open with the Olympic Committees of Russia," she said.