Decision on Russian cross-country skiers’ Olympic eligibility due in December

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will decide by December 10 whether Russian and Belarusian athletes in the skiing disciplines may still take part in February’s Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics. CAS announced on Monday that it will hold a hearing next Monday and issue an expedited decision by December 10 at the latest.

The Russian Ski Federation (RSF) has appealed to CAS against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s (FIS) October decision, which bars Russian and Belarusian skiers from this season’s World Cup—effectively preventing them from competing for quota places at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Olympic Games. According to Norway’s TV 2, the appeal is also backed by the Russian Paralympic Committee, six individually named Russian skiers, and six para skiers.

Russia is seeking permission for its athletes to compete as neutral participants in all FIS-sanctioned competitions and at the Winter Olympics.

The cross-country World Cup opens this weekend in Ruka, Kuusamo, and before CAS rules there will also be World Cup races in Trondheim from December 5–7. The Olympic cross-country events are slated to begin on the tracks in Val di Fiemme on February 7.

Russian and Belarusian skiers have been excluded from FIS competitions for more than three years due to Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and FIS opted in an October council meeting to keep the multi-year ban in force.

During the autumn, some Russian skiers have been training in Central Europe; Finnish skiers encountered them at the same lodging during their training camp in Ramsau, Austria.