'Russians will compete only as neutral athletes at Winter Olympics 2026, even if Ukraine war ends,' says IOC chief

Russian athletes will not compete under their national flag at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, even if the war in Ukraine ends before the Games, International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry has said. The Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place from February 6 to 22, 2026, across multiple cities in Italy, including Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Under the existing rules, Russian athletes who qualify will compete without their national flag, anthem, or official country symbols.

Speaking to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Coventry made it clear that the IOC’s current position will not change. “At this stage nothing would change,” she said, adding that Russian athletes will only be allowed to take part as neutral individuals, not as representatives of their country.

Russia, along with Belarus, was banned by the IOC following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the IOC has maintained restrictions on how athletes from the two countries can participate in international competitions. In September last year, the IOC confirmed that any Russian or Belarusian athletes competing at the Milano-Cortina Games would do so only as individuals.

Coventry, who became the IOC’s first woman president, also spoke about the future direction of the Olympic Games. She suggested that hosting the Olympics across several cities, as Italy is doing, could become a long-term trend. Holding the Games in multiple locations would be ‘the new normality,’ she said, and the Milano-Cortina Olympics would serve as a useful example for future hosts.

The IOC did not immediately respond to a request seeking confirmation or further clarification of Coventry’s remarks. The decision is likely to remain a sensitive topic, with debates continuing around fairness, politics, and the role of global sport during times of conflict.