22 December 2025
Sports Thoughts: CAS Ruling Opens the door for Russian and Belarusian snow sport athletes for 2026 Winter Olympics
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that Russian and Belarusian snow sport athletes and para-athletes can seek to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics as Neutral Athletes.
The CAS decision overturns the International Ski and Snowboard Federation's (FIS) blanket ban on athletes from those nations.
The CAS decision
On 21 October 2025, the FIS Council decided1 to prevent all Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating as Individual Neutral Athletes (an athlete who is allowed to compete in international sporting competitions without representing their country, having no national flag, anthem, or uniform) in FIS qualification events for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Two appeals were filed to CAS alleging that FIS breached its own statutes and the principles of political neutrality and non-discrimination. One appeal was brought by the Russian Ski Association, twelve athletes, para-athletes and the Russian Paralympic Committee. The other appeal was brought by the Belarusian Ski Union and five Belarusian athletes.
As of 15 December 2025, the full CAS decision has yet to be published. However, in a media release dated 2 December 20252, CAS confirmed that it had partially upheld the appeals on the basis that the FIS statutes protect individuals from discrimination and require the FIS to be politically neutral. CAS said that “the FIS decision is a blanket exclusion of athletes due to nationality, regardless of whether athletes would meet [Individual Neutral Athlete] eligibility criteria”.
The FIS has since “acknowledged” the decision and confirmed that all affected athletes who are eligible to seek Individual Neutral Athlete status should do so3. The FIS also published its Individual Neutral Athlete policy (dated 2 December)4 which aligns with the CAS decision.
Nine Russian and Belarusian athletes have since been granted permission to compete in FIS qualifying events. More athletes could follow.
A complex history
The CAS decision is the latest concerning the eligibility of Russian and Belarusians athletes taking part in Olympic sport.
Russian athletes previously competed as 'Olympic Athletes' in the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang after over 1,000 individuals were linked to a Russian state-sponsored doping scheme between 2011 and 20145. Findings of manipulated doping data in 2019 led to Russian athletes being banned from competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games unless they could prove that they were not part of the aforementioned state-sponsored doping process6.
At the 2024 Paris Games, athletes from both Russia and Belarus could only take part under a neutral flag without a Russian or Belarusian anthem. It has recently been reported that the same approach will be adopted for the 2026 Winter Games7. This will represent the fifth consecutive games in which Russian athletes have not competed under their own flag, and the second for Belarusian athletes.
What this means
The recent cases are significant because they support the IOC's general position that athletes must be given the opportunity to qualify and take part in Olympic sports notwithstanding their nationality and geopolitical considerations. Any international federation who declares a form of blanket nationality-based exclusion without individual assessment, will likely be the subject of appeal proceedings at CAS who are able, and will move swiftly to determine such cases on an expedited basis.