IOC has made a drastic decision on Russia - media

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has called on the Winter Sports Federation to allow athletes from Russia to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics, SVT Sport reports. The Swedish publication cites its source as saying that the IOC is "actively promoting this idea."

More than three years have passed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Russian athletes remain suspended from competing in a number of winter sports. In particular, they are not allowed to participate in the World Cups in biathlon, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing, as well as in tournaments under the auspices of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

At the moment, this means that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be able to compete in these disciplines at the 2026 Olympics unless the situation changes.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, 15 Russian athletes competed under a neutral flag. The IOC is seeking to apply a similar scheme to the 2026 Winter Games. However, to do so, Russian and Belarusian athletes must be able to qualify through their international federations.

According to SVT Sport, the IOC has clearly outlined its position in contacts with the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the International Ski Federation (FIS).

But they are very clear that they want to find a solution that allows neutral athletes to participate in the Olympics. The IOC is really pushing for this and hopes that next season we will allow neutral athletes to participate," the source told SVT Sport.

The President of the International Biathlon Union, Olle Dahlin, confirmed that this issue had been discussed.

"The IOC believes that a similar format would be useful for the Milan-Cortina Olympics. However, for now, our decision remains unchanged: Russia and Belarus remain suspended, and we are not considering this issue," Dalin said.

SVT Sport requested a comment from the IOC, but they declined an interview, citing lack of time. In a written statement, the Committee noted that the 2024 Olympics in Paris was a success, and neutral athletes competed on an equal footing with the rest. The final decision on the admission of neutral athletes to the 2026 Games will be made by the IOC leadership later.

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