The decision by the FIS to grant two additional quota places for the Milano–Cortina 2026 Olympic Games to athletes from a country sanctioned by the IOC (Russia) once again brings to the table one of the major contradictions of international sport: the difficult line between the principle of sporting neutrality and political and institutional coherence. Although the legal framework supports the participation of individual athletes who meet the neutrality criteria, the public message conveyed is, at the very least, ambiguous. And another question arises: how will Italy and its population react to this type of decision?

On the one hand, it is understandable not to automatically penalise athletes who bear no direct responsibility for a geopolitical conflict. Sport, in its purest sense, should protect the careers of those who have dedicated their lives to competing. However, the progressive accumulation of exceptions, invitations and quota increases may dilute the original purpose of the sanctions and create a perception of a loosening in the enforcement of the measures adopted after the invasion of Ukraine.

Moreover, this type of decision fuels the sense of a lack of uniform criteria between international federations and the IOC itself, opening a debate about the robustness of the sports governance system and its ability to act coherently in situations of high political sensitivity. The issue is no longer purely legal, but also one of reputation and credibility for the Olympic movement. Not everyone is pulling in the same direction on such a sensitive matter.

In this context, the expansion of quota places, although legally defensible, raises legitimate questions about the balance between sporting fairness, institutional coherence and the role of sport as a symbolic actor on the international stage.

The complete list of individual neutral athletes

Alpine skiing
Quota places:

• Two places (1 male / 1 female) for AINs with a Russian passport.

• One place (0 male / 1 female) for AINs with a Belarusian passport.

Eligible and invited athletes (Russian passport):

• Yulia Pleshkova (F).

• Semyon Efimov (M).

Eligible and invited athletes (Belarusian passport):

• Maria Shkanova (F).

Cross-country skiing
Quota places:

• Two places (1 male / 1 female) for AINs with a Russian passport.

• One place (0 male / 1 female) for AINs with a Belarusian passport.

Eligible and invited athletes (Russian passport):

• Savelii Korostelev (M) – invitation accepted.

• Daria Nepriaeva (F) – invitation accepted.

Eligible and invited athletes (Belarusian passport):

• Hanna Karaliova (F) – invitation accepted.

Figure skating
Quota places:

• Two places (1 male / 1 female) for AINs with a Russian passport.

• One place (0 male / 1 female) for AINs with a Belarusian passport.

Eligible and invited athletes (Russian passport):

• Petr Gumennik (M) – invitation accepted.

• Adeliia Petrosian (F) – invitation accepted.

Eligible and invited athletes (Belarusian passport):

• Viktoriya Safonova (F) – invitation accepted.

Freestyle skiing
Quota places:

• Three places (0 male / 3 female) for AINs with a Belarusian passport.

Eligible and invited athletes (Belarusian passport):

• Anastasiya Andryianava (F).

• Anna Derugo (F).

• Hanna Huskova (F).

Luge
Quota places:

• Two places (1 male / 1 female) for AINs with a Russian passport.

Eligible and invited athletes (Russian passport):

• Daria Olesik (F).

• Pavel Repilov (M).

Short track
Quota places:

• Two places (1 male / 1 female) for AINs with a Russian passport.

Eligible and invited athletes (Russian passport):

• Ivan Posashkov (M) – invitation accepted.

• Alena Krylova (F) – invitation accepted.

Ski mountaineering
Quota places:

• One place (1 male / 0 female) for AINs with a Russian passport.

Eligible and invited athletes (Russian passport):

• Nikita Filippov (M) – invitation accepted.

Speed skating
Quota places:

• Two places (0 male / 2 female) for AINs with a Russian passport.

• One place (0 male / 1 female) for AINs with a Belarusian passport.

Eligible and invited athletes (Russian passport):

• Kseniia Korzhova (F) – invitation accepted.

• Anastasiia Semenova (F) – invitation accepted.

Eligible and invited athletes (Belarusian passport):

• Marina Zueva (F) – invitation accepted.