BONN, Germany (AP) — No athletes from Russia or Belarus will qualify for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Paralympics despite the International Paralympic Committee's recent vote to reinstate them.
The IPC in September lifted partial suspensions of Russia and Belarus but said Thursday it received confirmation from each sport’s governing body that “in practice, no athletes from the two nations are likely to qualify for March’s Games.”
The sports' governing bodies ultimately are responsible “for determining the qualification pathway for its sport, as well as the eligibility of athletes to compete in those qualification pathway competitions,” the IPC added.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), International Biathlon Union (IBU), and World Curling maintain bans, and while Russia can now compete in Para ice hockey, the World Para Ice Hockey confirmed to the IPC that “it is not possible in practice for the nation to qualify for March’s Games.” Belarus does not have an international-level Para ice hockey team.
The Milan-Cortina Paralympics in Italy are from March 6-15 next year.
“The positions of FIS, IBU and World Curling currently mean that athletes and teams from Belarus and Russia cannot compete in their events, making it impossible for them to qualify for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games,” IPC president Andrew Parsons said in a statement.
“While Belarus and Russia can now compete in Para ice hockey competitions, at this late stage of the qualification cycle, the six teams for November’s Paralympic Games qualification tournament have already been determined," he added.
Russia and ally Belarus have been banned from international sporting events after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
The Russian Olympic Committee has been suspended since 2023 by the International Olympic Committee for breaking the Olympic charter by using an administrative land grab to incorporate regional sports bodies in occupied eastern Ukraine.
Russians will be allowed to compete at next year’s Milan-Cortina Winter Games from Feb. 6-22. The IOC said it will follow the system it used at the Paris Games last year, allowing Russians to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes — using the French acronym AIN.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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