Russian skiers and snowboarders win CAS ruling to try to qualify for Winter Olympics in Italy

By Canadian Press on December 2, 2025.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov said on Tuesday the country’s skiers and snowboarders won a court ruling to get the chance to apply to compete as neutral athletes for qualification events to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Degtyaryov posted on social media that an appeal from Russia to the Court of Arbitration for Sportoverturned a blanket ban imposed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

CAS has not published its ruling, which would be another legal win for Russian and Belarusian winter sports athletes after nearly four years of exclusion from international competitions during the war on Ukraine.

In October, a similar appeal to CAS by the Russian luge federation and athletes ruled against a long-standing blanket ban based on their passports.

Sports bodies have excluded Russians mainly for security reasons.

Still, there would be little time for FIS to process applications from athletes to be approved with neutral status ahead of a Jan. 18 qualification deadline. The Winter Olympics begin on Feb. 6.

Neutral status can be approved in most sports, following International Olympic Committee guidance, for athletes who have not publicly supported the military invasion of Ukraine and do not have ties to military or state security agencies.

Russian athletes and team officials also face challenges getting visas to enter some countries that host qualifying events such as on the World Cup circuit in Alpine, cross-country and freestyle skiing, and snowboarding.

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AP Winter Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

The Associated Press

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