Russian Skaters Allowed to Compete as Neutrals (AIN) to Qualify for 2026 Winter Olympics

[Karen-W]

I wouldn’t be surprised if reversing IOC policy is on Putin’s negotiation wish list. It doesn’t cost Zelenskyy anything relative to other concessions and Trump will be happy to facilitate and piss off Europe again.

But that's the thing... Europe's view on this ONLY matters if Coe is elected as the next IOC President. I was doing some reading over on another forum dedicated to the Olympics about the IOC Presidential election race - they vote next week.

Coe, Samaranch Jr & Coventry are perceived to be the leading candidates. Coventry is nothing more than Bach's mouthpiece, so you can be certain if she's elected, she'll continue the slow move to returning Russia (and Belarus by extension) to international competition. As I mentioned above, Coe is the only one of the three who has stood firm against RUS/BLR returning until the war is over. Samaranch Jr is an ally of both China & Russia, so we can expect a similar approach from him as we could expect from Coventry.

You're right, it wouldn't cost Zelenskyy anything relative to other concessions, but it's a big stretch to think that this wasn't going to happen if/when a ceasefire happened, regardless of who is the US President or whether it pisses off Europe. There's been a LOT of squishiness on the part of many international sports federations, especially ones with Asian or Middle Eastern heads, toward the continuation of the RUS/BLR ban.

 

[caseyedwards]

But that's the thing... Europe's view on this ONLY matters if Coe is elected as the next IOC President. I was doing some reading over on another forum dedicated to the Olympics about the IOC Presidential election race - they vote next week.

Coe, Samaranch Jr & Coventry are perceived to be the leading candidates. Coventry is nothing more than Bach's mouthpiece, so you can be certain if she's elected, she'll continue the slow move to returning Russia (and Belarus by extension) to international competition. As I mentioned above, Coe is the only one of the three who has stood firm against RUS/BLR returning until the war is over. Samaranch Jr is an ally of both China & Russia, so we can expect a similar approach from him as we could expect from Coventry.

You're right, it wouldn't cost Zelenskyy anything relative to other concessions, but it's a big stretch to think that this wasn't going to happen if/when a ceasefire happened, regardless of who is the US President or whether it pisses off Europe. There's been a LOT of squishiness on the part of many international sports federations, especially ones with Asian or Middle Eastern heads, toward the continuation of the RUS/BLR ban.

There has Been no squishiness. Russia is banned by all and no one is allowing them back. You act like a dozen Russians in Paris is a lot

You act like the Japanese guy is pro Russia when he went to Russia and said he will keep the ban on Russia

 

[DreamSkates]

I'm confused. I thought drug use was part of the ban. Or maybe that was only Valieva. He coaches should be banned. And all athletes very strictly watched drug tests with no Russians involved in the testing and results processes.

 

[Karen-W]

I'm confused. I thought drug use was part of the ban. Or maybe that was only Valieva. He coaches should be banned. And all athletes very strictly watched drug tests with no Russians involved in the testing and results processes.

It is part of it, but most Russian athletes are likely to run afoul of the restrictions on support for the war rather than the drug testing, I think.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Drug use was not part of the ban: it was the invasion during the Olympic truce.

Not being tied to drug users has been made part of the requirements to qualify as a neutral athlete, in addition to not supporting the invasion/invaders.

 

[terisa]

This is such a ridiculous statement it almost does not bear responding, but it needs to be addressed.

1) Trump is not going to intervene on Russia/Putin's behalf with the IOC. That is the furthest thing from his mind with the current Ukraine-Russia negotiations.

2) The IOC'S President, Thomas Bach, has been one of the softest toadies with regard to Russia in the history of the IOC - and that's saying a lot since his predecessor, Jacques Rogge, was orgiastic about awarding & then presiding over the Sochi Games. Bach has been pushing the IOC to soften its stance for the better part of the last two years.

3) The main push with the softening was directed at the Summer Olympics sports federations, like FIG, FISA, World Athletics, etc. Many bowed to the pressure & at least allowed Russian & Belarusian athletes the opportunity to qualify as AINs ahead of Paris.

4) Now that Paris is in the rearview mirror, the pressure has been put on the Winter Olympics sports federations to allow Russia & Belarus to compete at in Milano.

5) See the pattern? The easing of the sport sanctions has been happening and it's because the IOC stooges want to suck up to Putin all on their own, without any interference or influence from the likes of Trump, Macron, Meloni, or any other world leader.

6) The IOC will be electing a new President at the end of this month. At least one candidate, FIG President Watanabe, has already met with Putin & the word from the Kremlin was it went very well. Watanabe is Japanese, just for the record. There actually are no Americans running for the position. The only candidate who has publicly stated opposition to allowing Russia & Belarus to return to international sports competition without restrictions is Lord Coe, the head of World Athletics. The others - Kirsty Coventry (from Zimbabwe), Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, a Norwegian, a Frenchman, and Prince Feisal al-Hussein of Jordan have been quite squishy.

7) Again, see a pattern here? The IOC is plenty inclined to lift the ban as soon as possible and there is little reason to believe it won't happen as soon as ceasefire is in place - though they may wait until a formal peace agreement has been signed. At this point, the ball is in Putin's court as to whether or not he agrees to the ceasefire.

8) I suppose, in that regard, maybe you are right about Trump being responsible. Such a horrible, awful thing - to have this meat grinder of a war some to an end.

I suppose an end to the war is something everyone looks forward to - except maybe the people in the occupied territories who will now be... what? Russian? Evicted? Worse? Who knows? Will parents get their children back? And how long will it take for Putin to decide he wants a bit more of Ukraine? He did after taking Crimea.

 

[Karen-W]

I suppose an end to the war is something everyone looks forward to - except maybe the people in the occupied territories who will now be... what? Russian? Evicted? Worse? Who knows? Will parents get their children back? And how long will it take for Putin to decide he wants a bit more of Ukraine? He did after taking Crimea.

Well, that's a conversation better left for PI, so I think we should refrain from speculating about the answers to those questions here. The Admins already issued one warning in here when this decision by the ISU was first announced a few months ago.

 

[caseyedwards]

Drug use was not part of the ban: it was the invasion during the Olympic truce.

Not being tied to drug users has been made part of the requirements to qualify as a neutral athlete, in addition to not supporting the invasion/invaders.

The invasion is actually not part of the ban at all now. It has been updated to only be about the Russian NOC taking over parts of the Ukrainian NOC. Only when Russia returns all property of the Ukraine NOC to the Ukraine NOC will the ban be lifted.

 

[PRlady]

False Russia is banned and likely to not send one person to Italy. This in your mind is pro Russia. What’s anti Russia?

It’s pro Russia to have

Implicit nonverbal test of behavior
Banning all talking to anyone if one does go
Banning any talking to media
Banning being in the same place as other Olympians
Listing all the websites you ever visited
Listing all comments you posted and deleted
Giving ioc your passwords to all social media accounts
Having ioc minder
IOC approval of all clothes including underwear

You can say athletes are used to extreme invasiveness but this is mostly about psychological torture especially the extreme isolation. And it’s all ioc and Bach reveling in the torture

You keep shrieking about this and almost of all of us hope you’re right. But I doubt it.

 

[caseyedwards]

You keep shrieking about this and almost of all of us hope you’re right. But I doubt it.

It’s difficult to imagine all the skaters taking money from a sanctioned pro war company being approved! I don’t understand how it could be. Channel one is sanctioned! “Taking money from a sanctioned pro war company is neither explicit support nor implicit nonverbal support of the war because…..”

 

[PRlady]

You know, skating competitions are broadcast all the time on captive media (I don’t know if AlJazeera and Breitbart show skating clips, but half the world’s media is classified as state-dominated.) No-one has ever held skaters or other athletes responsible for who broadcasts their competitions or performances. (Does NBC, which still owns MSN, turn skaters into anti-Trump progressives?)

Many Russian skaters are implicated in pro-war activities or training with drug-peddling g coaches. The state media sponsoring a skating broadcast is the least of their worries.

 

[caseyedwards]

You know, skating competitions are broadcast all the time on captive media (I don’t know if AlJazeera and Breitbart show skating clips, but half the world’s media is classified as state-dominated.) No-one has ever held skaters or other athletes responsible for who broadcasts their competitions or performances. (Does NBC, which still owns MSN, turn skaters into anti-Trump progressives?)

Many Russian skaters are implicated in pro-war activities or training with drug-peddling g coaches. The state media sponsoring a skating broadcast is the least of their worries.

But the broadcaster is also the employer here! The skaters are being paid by channel one for their appearance on this show made for channel one. It’s made to look like a competition but it is a show. It’s like if a skater was paid by Al jazera or breitbart. Not just thay they picked up a program that would exist without them. This show wouldn’t exist without channel one. The skaters must be responsible for who they take money from. In this case channel one.

 

[On My Own]

i really like how we can say all day every day to caseyedwards that russian skaters this and russian skaters that, but holding the opinion that a sport filled with sexual abuse, misogyny, mental and emotional abuse, eating disorders, abusive coaching - the list goes on to infinity - is a terrible one and maybe supporting it with thousands of dollars is ridiculous is the worst thing ever

i guess all those are bad things only as long as russians are skating idk

 

[caseyedwards]

Every skater was wearing the logo of channel one on their jackets during channel one cup. That’s a logo of a sanctioned pro war company. The fact that channel one does more than air pro war propaganda didn’t stop it from being sanctioned. So if you were at channel one cup -and a paid participant - you were wearing the logo of a sanctioned company! Implicit nonverbal? Or actually explicit nonverbal? How much is that like wearing a Z


Not to mention other sponsors like sanctioned T Bank

 

[olympic]

Bump.

It would be fascinating to know how the process of selection of Russian skaters as neutral Olympic participants will take place. I mean will Russia submit names and a committee accepts or rejects said candidate??

 

[Karen-W]

Bump.

It would be fascinating to know how the process of selection of Russian skaters as neutral Olympic participants will take place. I mean will Russia submit names and a committee accepts or rejects said candidate??

That's what the original document says. They had to submit the names of 1 AIN & 1 Substitute in each discipline by the end of February & then the athletes go through the vetting process. The RusFed asked permission to submit 5 names, but did not receive it as far as we're aware, because they weren't sure who would or wouldn't be approved. The big mystery now is who was submitted, how long will it take for the vetting & approval, whether or not they'll get a chance to submit a different candidate if someone is not approved, and when the public will find out who the AINs & Substitutes are.

Also, the Olympic spots go to the athletes themselves, so if an AIN is injured after the OQE & can't compete, the Substitute cannot replace them at the Olympics.

Of course, this may all change if an actual peace deal is brokered in the next 5-9 months before the IOC officially confirms any Olympic entries.

 

[caseyedwards]

It’s April 3! I bet everyone is being rejected. That they keep submitting and being rejected

 

[caseyedwards]

That's what the original document says. They had to submit the names of 1 AIN & 1 Substitute in each discipline by the end of February & then the athletes go through the vetting process. The RusFed asked permission to submit 5 names, but did not receive it as far as we're aware, because they weren't sure who would or wouldn't be approved. The big mystery now is who was submitted, how long will it take for the vetting & approval, whether or not they'll get a chance to submit a different candidate if someone is not approved, and when the public will find out who the AINs & Substitutes are.

Also, the Olympic spots go to the athletes themselves, so if an AIN is injured after the OQE & can't compete, the Substitute cannot replace them at the Olympics.

Of course, this may all change if an actual peace deal is brokered in the next 5-9 months before the IOC officially confirms any Olympic entries.

A peace deal / ceasefire doesn’t change the fact isu opposes the invasion and demands total Russian withdrawal from all Ukrainian territory. A ceasefire is nothing to isu. They want total exit of Russia from Ukraine

https://current.isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/28254-2469-decisions-of-council-meeting-april-24-2022/file

 

[caseyedwards]

The isu gave this to the company Sportradar! How long has it taken them to do other things? Less than 24 hours based on their website reports.

 

[jamesy]

...and when the public will find out who the AINs & Substitutes are.

I feel like we're going to find out when TAT casually drops this information in some random interview about something else.

 

[Karen-W]

I feel like we're going to find out when TAT casually drops this information in some random interview about something else.

TAT, Pogo, Radionova, Rodnina - take your pick, but, yeah, I feel like it's just going to be some random news morsel casually dropped.

 

[caseyedwards]

it doesn’t seem things are going well at all! She’s getting angrier and angrier

they suspended us, and here they don't let us in. And nothing can be done about it. How is that?! Who to believe? How can I go there? Who will support us? Everyone has their own.

There can be no question of any justice in figure skating in relation to us, to the Russians. No one has it.

 

[TAHbKA]

The reasons for gymnasts disqualification (or, rather, declined participation) were published. Let's just say the ISU have a totally free reign who will they allow. There is a chance Vadym Kolesnik would be disqualified

 

[Wyliefan]

The reasons for gymnasts disqualification (or, rather, declined participation) were published. Let's just say the ISU have a totally free reign who will they allow. There is a chance Vadym Kolesnik would be disqualified

Do you have a link to those reasons?

 

[TAHbKA]

Do you have a link to those reasons?

Ria

 

[caseyedwards]

Isu has declared the Russian nominees will be placed under tests for verbal explicit or nonverbal implicit war support! Everyone else in the sport has total free speech and can say anything they want! Only Russians are under tests especially the implicit nonverbal test

 

[Karen-W]

The reasons for gymnasts disqualification (or, rather, declined participation) were published. Let's just say the ISU have a totally free reign who will they allow. There is a chance Vadym Kolesnik would be disqualified

Do you have a link to those reasons?

Ria

Interesting... FIG did not disqualify athletes (Melnikova) who train at CKSA & other sports academies affiliated with the Russian military, but they did disqualify athletes who displayed open support for the war or who joined online/social media groups where other posters expressed support for Russia's crusade to get rid of any doping regulations. My question on the latter is did the gymnast denied "like" or re-post the doping post? The article does not provide any clarity on that - did the reporter even ask that obvious question of the Russian gymnastics fed? Or is this just another propaganda piece full of Russian whining about the neutrality requirements?

So, yes, I suppose that the ISU will be able to allow or disallow whomever they want and I guess we'll just have to wait and see who is ultimately approved or declined.

 

[TAHbKA]

Interesting... FIG did not disqualify athletes (Melnikova) who train at CKSA & other sports academies affiliated with the Russian military

Exactly. So am not quite sure what's the point of the whole process.

they did disqualify athletes who displayed open support for the war or who joined online/social media groups where other posters expressed support for Russia's crusade to get rid of any doping regulations.

Where did you get that from???? From which article? Because this one certainly does not state that and where on earth did you find a `crusade to get rid of any doping regulations'????

My question on the latter is did the gymnast denied "like" or re-post the doping post?

There were no doping posts according to the article. But go on...

 

[caseyedwards]

If people don’t understand all CSKA clubs were sold to the highest bidder decades ago that’s unacceptable! It’s like saying why don’t All new owners of the Yankees change its name to something they like? Or Dallas cowboys? Or whatever.

 

[Karen-W]

Where did you get that from???? From which article? Because this one certainly does not state that and where on earth did you find a `crusade to get rid of any doping regulations'????

There were no doping posts according to the article. But go on...

Sorry, I misread the report and thought they were reporting that the group was supporting getting rid of doping regulations.