Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – The 2026 Winter Olympics are already facing controversy as approximately 40 athletes with Russian roots are set to compete under the flags of other nations, while a limited number of Russian athletes have been permitted to participate as neutral athletes. This development comes after a ban on Russian athletes competing under their own flag due to a state-sponsored doping scandal revealed by the McLaren report.
Only 13 Russian athletes were allowed to compete with neutral status at the games in Italy, according to reports. However, a significant number of others have changed their sporting citizenship, either before or after the 2024 invasion of Ukraine, and will be competing for different countries.
A notable number of these athletes are in the sport of figure skating. Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin, who represent Georgia, are the children of figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze and actor Boris Smolkin. They finished 13th in the 2026 Olympics. Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin now compete for Armenia, while Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berulava represent Georgia, finishing fourth in the team event.
The participation of Russian athletes, even as neutrals, remains a contentious issue. Latvia’s Olympic Committee has stated its categorical opposition to the participation of athletes from the aggressor state, but acknowledges it has limited ability to influence the decision. The Latvian Bobsleigh Federation has announced that the World Cup stage in Sigulda in January will not accept place due to Latvian legislation and security concerns.
The situation underscores the ongoing complexities surrounding Russia’s involvement in international sports following allegations of widespread doping and its current military actions in Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee barred Russian athletes from competing under their flag at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, requiring them to compete as “Olympic Athletes from Russia.”
Russia first participated in the Olympic Games in 1994 at the Albertville Winter Games, and then in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Prior to that, athletes from the Russian Empire competed in the Olympics from 1900 to 1912, and later as part of the Soviet Union from 1952 to 1988, and as the Unified Team in 1992. The Russian Olympic Committee was established in 1991 and internationally recognized in 1993.
Russia has hosted two Olympic Games: the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
