Two more Russian athletes approved for Milan Cortina Olympics with neutral status

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LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Two more Russian athletes were approved by the International Olympic Committee to compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month with neutral status.

The total is now five athletes with Russian passports and one from Belarus confirmed by the IOC as eligible for the Olympics that open Feb. 6. They will not have their national identity of team colors, flag or anthem and cannot take part in the opening ceremony athlete parades.

Short-track speed skaters Ivan Posashkov and Alena Krylova joined the list updated by the IOC late Monday.

The 21-year-old Posashkov competes in the men’s 1,000-meter event and the 23-year-old Krylova in the women’s 500 meters.

Neutral status can be given to athletes in individual events judged to have not actively supported their countries' full military invasion of Ukraine, and who are not contracted to the military or state security agencies.

Vetting is done first by a winter sports governing body and then verified by a panel of three IOC members, which includes former NBA star Pau Gasol.

The IOC previously approved Russian figure skaters Adeliia Petrosian — who is a strong medal contender — and Petr Gumennik, plus Nikita Filippov in ski mountaineering. Belarusian figure skater Viktoriia Safonova also passed checks.

More Russian and Belarusian athletes, including in Alpine and cross-country skiing, are likely to be added this month.

Russian athletes have returned to international winter sports competitions in recent weeks for the first time since the war on Ukraine intensified in February 2022, four days after the last Winter Games closed in Beijing.

Russia is still excluded from team sports like ice hockey at the Olympics, as it was at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

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AP Winter Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics