Why you'll see individual Russian athletes at 2026 Winter Olympics, but no teams
The IIHF had announced in February that the suspensions of Russian and Belarusian teams would continue through May 2026.
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Though some individual Russian athletes may be allowed to compete as neutrals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, the country’s hockey teams will be on the outside looking in at the action.
The Reuters news agency on Tuesday published a report stating the current ban on Russian teams will remain in place through the Milano Cortina 2026 men’s and women’s hockey tournaments, slated for February of next year.
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Why you'll see individual Russian athletes at 2026 Winter Olympics, but no teams Back to video
Hockey action begins Feb. 4, the opening ceremonies will be held two days later, and the Games will run through Feb. 22, the date of the men’s gold-medal game at what will be the newly built 16,000-seat Milano Santagiulia arena.
There was no official statement from either the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Tuesday; however, the Reuters report quoted an unnamed IOC official.
“The recommendation of the IOC Executive Board from March 2023 regarding teams of athletes holding Russian passports remains in force. It is based on the premise that, by definition, a group of individual neutral athletes cannot be considered a team. We take note that the IIHF has confirmed it will follow this recommendation, which was made after consultations with the relevant International Federations and other stakeholders of the Olympic Movement.”
The IIHF had announced in February that the suspensions of Russian and Belarusian teams would continue through May 2026 and IIHF president Luc Tardif said during a press conference last weekend at the world hockey championship in Stockholm that the IOC would be making this decision.
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“Recently they asked us to send them a schedule without Russia, so that’s where we are,” Tardif said. “The official statement is pending but the IOC has told us that they are informing the Russian Olympic Committee that they are not participating in the Olympics.”
Will Russian curling teams be banned from the 2026 Games?
There are two spots open in each of the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles curling tournaments at Milano Cortina 2026, but it seems unlikely that Russian curling teams will be allowed to compete in qualifying events.
World Curling extended their ban through the 2024-25 season, citing Rule C1(b) which states that a team may be removed from any event if the World Curling board decides the team’s presence would “damage the event or put the safety of the participants or the good order of the event at risk.”
How have Russian hockey teams performed at previous Olympics?
Competing under the banner of “Russian Olympic Committee,” the men’s team won gold at PyeongChang 2018. At Beijing 2022, they claimed silver as “Team Olympic Athlete from Russia.”
Neither of those Games featured athletes from the National Hockey League, but NHL players will return to the Olympics in 2026.
Since NHL participation began at Nagano 1998, Russia earned a silver (Nagano 1998) and bronze (Salt Lake City 2002), and finished fourth at Torino 2006, fifth at Sochi 2014 and sixth at Vancouver 2010.
The women’s team finished fifth in 2002, sixth in 2006, 2010 and 2014 — though it was disqualified in the latter Games for doping violations. The women were fourth in 2018 and fifth in 2022.
Which nations will be represented in the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey tournaments at Milano Cortina 2026?
According to reports, France will take Russia’s spots in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
The men’s competition will include Canada, Switzerland, Czechia and France in Group A; Finland, Sweden, Slovakia and Italy in Group B; as well as the U.S., Germany, Latvia and Denmark in Group C.
The women’s tournament will see Canada, the U.S., Finland, Czechia and Switzerland in Group A; Germany, Sweden, Japan, Italy and France in Group B.
When and why were Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams banned from Olympic competition?
Russian athletes have not been allowed to fly their country’s flag at a Winter Olympics since they hosted Sochi 2014, the Games stained by the discovery of Russian state-sponsored doping that led to suspensions and disqualifications.
The IOC took further action immediately after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops in February 2022, four days after the Beijing Games came to an end.
In response to Russia’s illegal military action and the facilitation of Belarus, the IOC recommended on Feb. 28 that international sports federations ban athletes from Russia and Belarus. Most of the world’s sport governing bodies, including the IIHF, banned those athletes.
A year later, the IOC lifted the ban on individual Russian and Belarusian athletes, provided they did not actively support their country’s military operation and they agreed to compete as neutral athletes.
The ban on national teams remained in place and is still in place today.
The IOC took further action in October 2023, suspending the Russian Olympic Committee after it breached the Olympic Charter by “incorporating regional sports organizations located in territory belonging to the Olympic Committee of Ukraine.”
Is it likely that individual Russian athletes will compete at Milano Cortina 2026 in sports other than hockey?
Yes. There will be 116 events held in 16 sport disciplines at these Games and each world governing sport body will be empowered to make a decision regarding the potential participation or banishment of individual Russian and Belarusian athletes.
The International Skating Union (ISU) already has granted permission for four Russian singles figure skaters to begin the qualification process for the Olympics in Italy. However, no pairs or ice dance teams from Russia or Belarus have been allowed to attempt qualification.
The ISU also governs speed skating and short track speed skating, and it is likely that individual athletes from Russia and Belarus in those sports will compete in Italy.
Reports also suggest the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation will vote at a September meeting to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutral athletes at the 2026 Olympics.
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