FIS clears two Russian cross-country skiers to compete as neutrals at Davos World Cup

The International Ski Federation (FIS) announced that nine athletes from Russia and Belarus have been authorized to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in qualification events for the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

In cross-country skiing, Russians Savely Korostelev and Darja Nepryayeva were approved and may already race in this weekend’s World Cup in Davos. Korostelev, 22, is the 2022 junior world champion in the 10 km classic and relay and also claimed silver in the 30 km free at those championships. Nepryayeva, 23, is a 2022 junior world champion in the 5 km classic and a women’s relay silver medalist.

The initial AIN list also includes six freestyle skiers (Belarus: Anastasia Andryianava, Anna Derugo, Ihar Drabiankou, Hanna Huskova; Russia: Anastasiia Tatalina; Bulgaria: Vladislav Vazniuk) and one alpine skier (Russia: Maria Shkanova).

The move follows last week’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that Russian and Belarusian athletes in FIS disciplines who satisfy the International Olympic Committee’s neutrality requirements must be allowed to compete at the February Olympics and in qualification events such as World Cups. Russian and Belarusian athletes have been absent from international ski competitions since the 2022 Beijing Olympics, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Under the neutrality rules, athletes and their entourages must not support Russia’s war, must not be members of the Russian or Belarusian armed forces or security agencies, and must pass appropriate anti-doping controls.

Finnish FIS Council member Martti Uusitalo called the decision expected and noted that the number of cleared athletes is quite small. He added that the neutrality assessment mirrors an IOC-designed protocol already applied for the Paris 2024 Games and does not rely on subjective judgments, making further CAS challenges unlikely given the limited time before the Olympics.