Russia wins CAS appeal – athletes allowed to compete in Olympic Nordic events as neutrals

Russia’s ski federation has won its appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), obliging the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete internationally as neutral athletes.

CAS confirmed in a press release that 17 athletes (12 Russian and five Belarusian) had appealed FIS’s decision to bar participation, and that the panel considered FIS’s measure to be a blanket exclusion that failed to account for athletes who could meet neutrality criteria. CAS clarified to NRK that the decision applies to all Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify as neutrals, not just the 17 appellants.

The decision immediately affects qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics in FIS disciplines, including cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, alpine skiing, snowboard and freeski/freestyle. FIS is now required to admit neutral-status athletes to Olympic-qualifying competitions, such as World Cup events.

FIS stated it will implement a process where any athlete seeking neutral status must email an application. Applications will be reviewed by the FIS Secretary General, an independent sports integrity expert, and an FIS administration representative. To compete as neutrals at the Olympics, athletes and support staff must:

• Not actively support the war.
• Not be under contract with the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies; FIS specifies that even voluntary links are disqualifying.
• Have completed all required anti‑doping testing in the lead-up to and during the Winter Olympics.
• Avoid communications tied to Russia or Belarus while competing.

FIS combined race director Lasse Ottesen told NRK that preliminary checks on Russian and Belarusian athletes had already begun in anticipation of the CAS ruling.

The ruling has near-term calendar implications. Russian and Belarusian athletes theoretically could enter the World Cup weekend in Trondheim (cross‑country and Nordic combined), but timelines are tight. Russian cross‑country skier Saveliy (Savelij) Korostelev, a 2022 junior world champion and one of the appellants, told NRK he cannot make Trondheim but aims for Davos on 12–14 December, pending neutral approval. Russia’s head cross‑country coach, Egor Sorin, joked they would “arrive by helicopter,” but star Veronika Stepanova said she will not race in Trondheim.

Norwegian Ski Association president Tove Moe Dyrhaug expressed disappointment with the verdict but said Norway and other FIS members must abide by CAS. She noted practical questions remain around how participation will be handled before the Olympics. NRK’s sports commentator Jan-Petter Saltvedt called the ruling “surprising, but not shocking,” observing that recent decisions have favored Russian neutral participation internationally; he cautioned that each athlete still faces scrutiny over military links and must qualify on short notice.

In Russia, the news was greeted with enthusiasm. Stepanova hailed it as a major symbolic win and insisted that Russian athletes are “back.”

List of appellants highlighted by NRK included possible Olympic competitors across multiple FIS disciplines: Saveliy Korostelev (cross-country), Daniil Sereev (ski jumping), Artjom Galunin (Nordic combined), Lana Prusakova (freeski), Maria Travinitsyeva (snowboard), and Jekaterina Tkachyenko (alpine), plus six prospective Paralympic athletes; five Belarusians from freeski also joined the appeal.

Practical matters remain, including visa status for athletes entering Norway, though UDI indicated Schengen visa holders could participate in Norwegian events. FIS’s neutrality vetting will determine who can appear at upcoming qualifiers and ultimately at Milano–Cortina 2026 as neutrals.