Russia Banned from 2026 Winter Olympics Over Ukraine War
Russia's not competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics. For the second Winter Games in a row, they're watching from home.
The country that used to rack up medals in figure skating, ice hockey, and basically every winter sport isn't sending a team to Milan Cortina in February. Hundreds of Russian athletes can't compete under their flag. A few can still show up if they jump through enough hoops, but Russia as a nation? Out.
Ukraine Changed the Game
The International Olympic Committee suspended the Russian Olympic Committee back in October 2023 over the invasion of Ukraine. After Russia invaded in February 2022, the IOC hit them with sanctions—pulled funding, yanked the right to send athletes. The whole deal.
The suspension stays in place until the IOC decides otherwise. Even if the war ended tomorrow, Russia's still banned until the IOC lifts it.
Russian athletes haven't competed under their own flag at a Winter Olympics since 2014, when Russia hosted in Sochi. Those Games got completely overshadowed by a doping scandal that kicked off years of problems.
Some Russians Can Still Compete
Individual Russian athletes who qualify can compete under a neutral flag if they pass a vetting process. They're labeled "Individual Neutral Athletes" or AINs, and there's a whole panel that checks them out.
The panel digs into whether athletes have ties to the Russian military or actively support the war. Under contract with Russian national security agencies? Banned. Posted support for the invasion on social media? Also banned.
Russians who make it through get invited to compete as AINs. Belarusian athletes face the same process since Belarus has been helping with the invasion.
There are a ton of restrictions. No Russian symbols, colors, nothing. They wear the AIN symbol instead—a white circle with "AIN" on a teal background. When they win medals, the Olympic anthem plays instead of Russia's.
And Russians can't compete in team sports at all. No hockey. Alexander Ovechkin and other Russian NHL stars won't be playing in Milan.
Fifteen Russians competed as AINs at the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider won silver in women's doubles tennis. That was the only medal any Russian got.
The Doping Scandal Started All This
Before the Ukraine ban, there was the doping mess. Russia got banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in 2017 after a three-year investigation uncovered a massive, state-backed doping program that had been running for years. Athletes could still compete as "Olympic Athletes From Russia" in neutral uniforms, but Russia as a country was out.
After passing anti-doping tests at the 2018 Games, the Russian Olympic Committee got reinstated. Russians competed under the ROC at Tokyo in 2020 and Beijing in 2022.
Russia's ice hockey players won gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games as OARs, then silver in Beijing. Russian athletes grabbed 17 medals in 2018, 71 in 2020, and 32 in 2022. Things were looking up.
Then came Ukraine. In 2023, the ROC announced it would incorporate sports organizations in occupied Ukrainian regions. The IOC said that violated the Olympic Charter and suspended the ROC indefinitely.
Maybe 2028?
Russia wants back in for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The IOC hasn't said much about it.
ROC chairman Mikhail Degtyaryov said in September they're "preparing to participate in full composition" for 2028 and maintaining "a full-fledged course for a return to international sports."
IOC president Kirsty Coventry mentioned setting up a task force to review policies on athletes from countries involved in wars, but didn't give specifics on Russia.
Russia's sitting out 2026. A handful of their athletes can compete as neutrals with heavy restrictions. And whether they're back for 2028 is anyone's guess. A country that used to dominate winter sports is stuck on the outside with no clear path back in.
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