Russians remain barred from luge at 2026 Games even as neutrals
Russian luge athletes will not be allowed to qualify for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics even as neutrals, the International Luge Federation (FIL) said after a vote on Wednesday.
The 24-7 decision to continue an existing exclusion from FIL competitions was taken at the governing body's congress in Tampere, Finland.
The congress also decided 24-8 in a second vote not to authorise a programme for neutral Russian athletes.
"As a result, Russian athletes and their entourage will not be permitted to participate in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games," FIL said in a statement.
FIL president Einars Fogelis, a Latvian, said the congress had made its position clear.
"This outcome reflects our collective responsibility to uphold fair and safe competition. We fully respect the diversity of views within our community, especially from our athletes," he added.
The International Olympic Committee said last month that Russian teams, including the powerful national ice hockey side, remained banned from next year's Games as part of sanctions following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A small number of individual Russian and Belarusian athletes took part in the Paris 2024 summer Olympics after rigorous vetting by the IOC and as neutrals without national flags or anthems.
Four Russian figure skaters in men's and women's singles have been approved by the International Skating Union to try to qualify for the 2026 Olympics as neutral athletes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
ATP roundup: Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev advance in Halle
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Marcos Giron in the first round Wednesday at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Germany. Overpowering Giron with his serve, Zverev had 10 aces and never faced a break point while winning 28 of 34 points on first serve (82 per cent). 11th-ranked Daniil Medvedev of Russia also defeated France's Quentin Halys 6-2, 7-5 in the second round. With just six unforced errors (compared to 21 for Halys) and three of five break points converted, Medvedev controlled play while winning 60 per cent of points in the match. Eighth-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia and Alex Michelsen found the winner's circle as well. HSBC Championships Second seed Jack Draper of the UK got the best of Australia's Alexei Popyrin, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5) in Round 2 play in London. The match took 2 hours, 13 minutes and Draper won just 51 per cent of total points. With 14 aces and 33 winners, the World No. 6 outlasted Popyrin in a grueling slugfest. Fourth-seeded Holger Rune of Denmark rallied to a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 win over Mackenzie McDonald. After a slow start, Rune settled in and dominated the stat columns throughout the remainder of the match. The ninth-ranked player in the world had the advantage in winners (30-22), aces (13-3), break points converted (5-2) and net points won (11-6). Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut and Brandon Nakashima were also winners in Round of 16 action.
CNA
12 hours ago
- CNA
Alpine skiing-Brignone still aiming for Olympics, wants to leave on her terms
MILAN :Italy's Alpine ski champion Federica Brignone said she was doing all she could to be fit for her home Milan-Cortina Olympics next year and wanted to retire smiling on the slopes rather than forced out by injury. The 34-year-old told reporters on Wednesday, however, that it was still too early to say whether she would win the battle. "I got injured at the best moment of my career, of my life," Brignone said at an event in Milan for her sponsor Banca Generali. "And this is bothering me. I do not want to retire from ski now, like that. I loved this sport so much that I want to retire when I am happy, feeling good on the slopes." Overall World Cup champion Brignone, who was a leading medal hope at the Games, fractured her left leg and tore knee ligaments when she crashed during a race in the Italian championships in April. The giant slalom world champion said she remained positive but also realistic and had to respect her body and do what was best for herself. "My first goal is my health and that will continue to be and it won't change because of external pressures, in the sense that if my body won't make it, it won't make it. I think it will make it and I am very positive, it is responding," she said. "Some things are going really beyond expectations. Some other things are giving me a hard time, but it's normal, actually after suffering that kind of injury. "I think I'll be back for the winter. But that's not something I can predict." Brignone said she would not know until the crutches came off for good how much load she could put on the leg. "Obviously it was destroyed, so that has to be respected," she added.
CNA
18 hours ago
- CNA
Russians remain barred from luge at 2026 Games even as neutrals
Russian luge athletes will not be allowed to qualify for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics even as neutrals, the International Luge Federation (FIL) said after a vote on Wednesday. The 24-7 decision to continue an existing exclusion from FIL competitions was taken at the governing body's congress in Tampere, Finland. The congress also decided 24-8 in a second vote not to authorise a programme for neutral Russian athletes. "As a result, Russian athletes and their entourage will not be permitted to participate in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games," FIL said in a statement. FIL president Einars Fogelis, a Latvian, said the congress had made its position clear. "This outcome reflects our collective responsibility to uphold fair and safe competition. We fully respect the diversity of views within our community, especially from our athletes," he added. The International Olympic Committee said last month that Russian teams, including the powerful national ice hockey side, remained banned from next year's Games as part of sanctions following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. A small number of individual Russian and Belarusian athletes took part in the Paris 2024 summer Olympics after rigorous vetting by the IOC and as neutrals without national flags or anthems. Four Russian figure skaters in men's and women's singles have been approved by the International Skating Union to try to qualify for the 2026 Olympics as neutral athletes.
