Yle expert Aino-Kaisa Saarinen dismayed by CAS ruling allowing Russian and Belarusian skiers as neutrals: “I don’t understand the logic”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld appeals by the Russian and Belarusian ski federations, stating that athletes from those countries in FIS‑governed skiing disciplines who satisfy the International Olympic Committee’s criteria must be allowed to compete at the Milano–Cortina 2026 Olympics as neutral athletes.

Yle Sport expert and former Finnish cross‑country star Aino‑Kaisa Saarinen expressed disappointment and sadness at the ruling. “The decision is sad, because the war is, in my opinion, in the same situation as in 2022,” she said, adding that she struggles to understand how such a decision could be made now that a blanket exclusion has been in place since March 2022.

Saarinen notes that CAS found FIS’s rules protect individual athletes from discrimination and require political neutrality, meaning FIS cannot automatically exclude all Russians and Belarusians regardless of whether they meet neutrality criteria. She questions the logic compared with previous seasons when the same athletes were kept out and asks why that was not considered discriminatory then.

Under IOC guidelines, eligible athletes cannot compete in team events, anyone openly supporting Russia’s war or serving in the armed forces is barred, and all must pass appropriate anti‑doping controls. Saarinen believes these conditions will likely eliminate many top Russian skiers because several have military affiliations. She is also skeptical about how neutrality will be assessed in practice: “Do they have a questionnaire? Who decides who is acceptable and who is not?” She says she does not trust that there is a robust system to determine whether athletes have refrained from supporting the war at any stage.

The article also references recent background pieces on why the appeals succeeded and how anti‑doping testing of Russian skiers functioned during the ban period, highlighting ongoing debate as the Olympic cycle advances toward Milano–Cortina 2026.