13 friends of OI: details of Russian athletes' participation in the Olympics are being clarified

All the Olympic qualifying starts have ended, and now we can say what the situation is with the participation of Russian athletes in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. If there are no surprises, then at least 13 athletes from our country will go to the Games. Recall that 15 neutral Russians went to Paris 2024 after all the filters and scandals.

Officially approved

Five Russian athletes have already received official invitations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and confirmed their participation in the Games as individual neutral athletes (AIN).

Figure skating: Adelia Petrosyan and Peter Gumennik

The selection in figure skating was based on the results of the Olympic qualification tournament in Beijing in September 2025, which Petrosyan and Gumennik won with 209.63 and 262.82 points, respectively.

Short track: Ivan Posashkov and Alyona Krylova

The short track qualification took place through the overall World Cup standings of the 2025/26 season. Initially, five Russian neutrals went to the World Cup stages: Alyona Krylova (500 m), Elena Seregina (1000 m), Anna Matveeva (1500 m), Ivan Posashkov (1000 m) and Daniil Nikolaev (1500 m). They could only participate at their specific distances — these are the rules for neutrals set by the ISU. Replacement was only possible due to injury. As a result of the qualification, four quotas were won: at distances of 500 m and 1000 m for women and 1000 m and 1500 m for men. However, since Russian athletes are not allowed to participate in the relay, the number of Olympic licenses is limited to one male and one female. They were automatically awarded to Posashkov and Krylova as those who scored the highest number of qualifying points (2111 and 1078).

Ski mountaineering: Nikita Filippov (this sport will make its Olympic debut)

The qualification took place through the World Cup stages of the 2024/25 season. Filippov became the only Russian athlete whose results allowed him to obtain a license.

Selective collection: which Russian athletes will compete at the 2026 Olympics?

Not all of us with a neutral status managed to take part in the fight for game licenses.

Athletes who have fulfilled the standards and are awaiting admission

A number of Russians have successfully qualified in their sports and are now awaiting a final decision on admission from the IOC Special Commission (AINERP).

Cross-country skiing: Savely Korostelev and Daria Nepryaeva

We qualified through the World Cup in Davos (Switzerland), where we had to score less than 300 FIS points in one of the races. Thanks to this, we got the opportunity to start at the Olympics in all personal disciplines.

Speed skating: Ksenia Korzhova (3000 m) and Anastasia Semenova (mass start).

The qualification went through four stages of the World Cup in the fall of 2025. Korzhova passed on the score, Semenova — on points. They will be able to perform only at the above-mentioned distances.

Luge: Pavel Repilov and Daria Olesik

On January 17, Olesik took 12th place at the European Championships in Oberhof, and Repilov - 18th. This was enough to win Olympic permits, but there are still inspections by the IOC commission ahead.

In alpine skiing, there is one quota for boys and one for girls. It has not been officially announced who exactly they will be given to. Yulia Pleshkova and Ekaterina Tkachenko managed to perform at the World Cup. Semyon Yefimov, Ivan Kuznetsov, and Alexander Andrienko took part in the FIS-starts. Most likely, Tkachenko and Yefimov will go to the Games.

In freestyle skiing in the disciplines of slopestyle and bigair, two Russian girls are on the waiting list on the sixth and ninth lines. Most likely, we are talking about Anastasia Tatalina and Lana Prusakova. The final lists will be announced later — some of the national teams may not have chosen their quotas yet.

That's what we've been waiting for: where our neutral athletes will perform before the Olympics

Skiers prepare for the "Tour de Ski", luge skiers skip KM in Latvia

Sports without Russian participation

Russian athletes will definitely not compete in the following disciplines.

Team sports: hockey and curling (in accordance with the recommendations of the IOC). Individual sports: biathlon (were not allowed by the international federation), skeleton, snowboarding, ski jumping and cross-country skiing (could not qualify, including due to visa problems).

All eligible athletes will compete under strict conditions similar to those at the Summer Games in Paris. They are not allowed to use Russian national symbols (flag, anthem, coat of arms). A special turquoise flag with the abbreviation AIN and a separate music screen saver are provided for them, which will be used as the anthem. Participation is only possible in individual disciplines. Communication with the media, unlike ISU tournaments (figure skating, speed skating and short track), is allowed.