Russia appeals ban on its Nordic skiers to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed it has received an appeal from the Russian Ski Association, 12 Russian athletes, and the Russian Paralympic Committee against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s (FIS) decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from FIS-governed international competitions.

FIS decided in October to continue barring Russian athletes from its events, which also effectively blocks them from qualifying for the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. According to CAS’s public note, the appeal contests FIS’s decision “not to facilitate the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in FIS qualification competitions for the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.”

CAS states that the appeal was filed on 5 November. In line with CAS procedure, the parties will first exchange written submissions while the arbitral panel is composed, after which a hearing will be held. The date of the hearing has not yet been set.

The article also notes a related precedent: the Russian Luge Federation and six athletes recently appealed a similar issue to CAS, and last week CAS overturned a complete ban on Russian lugers, indicating evolving jurisprudence around blanket exclusions.

Background links referenced include earlier Yle reports on FIS’s October decision after a six-hour debate and on member feedback suggesting many national federations would have allowed Russian participation under certain conditions.