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

[MacMadame]

There is a chance Vadym Kolesnik would be disqualified

Vadym is a Ukrainian who is skating for the US. He isn't in the list of skaters submitted by Russia to be neutral athletes, so he can't be disqualified by definition.

 

[caseyedwards]

I mean it’s obviously a joke concerning the rules! He’s going to be trying for a spot and also trying to get anyone who is miraculously approved disqualified

 

[TAHbKA]

Vadym is a Ukrainian who is skating for the US. He isn't in the list of skaters submitted by Russia to be neutral athletes, so he can't be disqualified by definition.

Yes, obviously we need to spell out every word...let me make it clear: Kolesnik would be disqualified himself if the same rules were applied to him for some reason because the rules are completely idiotic.

 

[Vagabond]

The only thing that is "idiotic" about all this is the implication that Russian skaters have some fundamental right to participate in the Olympics.

 

[caseyedwards]

The only thing that is "idiotic" about all this is the implication that Russian skaters have some fundamental righr to participate in the Olympics.

This is what the ioc is based on! All athletes have right to compete

 

[MacMadame]

Yes, obviously we need to spell out every word...let me make it clear: Kolesnik would be disqualified himself if the same rules were applied to him for some reason because the rules are completely idiotic.

You seem to take the word of some mysterious Russian "source" as being true. I do not.

 

[olympic]

The only thing that is "idiotic" about all this is the implication that Russian skaters have some fundamental right to participate in the Olympics.

I ponder the invasion of the Ukraine and the suspicion of doping in Camp Eteri as well as the 2 cases of ordinal trading that I know of and I wonder if Russia’s participation is worth it

 

[Vagabond]

I ponder the invasion of the Ukraine and the suspicion of doping in Camp Eteri as well as the 2 cases of ordinal trading that I know of and I wonder if Russia’s participation is worth it

Russia’s only swimmer in Paris Olympics hails from Oakland and bears no flag

Every Olympian’s journey is unique and challenging. Then there’s Evgenii Somov’s. Russian by birth and Oakland resident by choice, he will be neutral in Paris.

www.sfchronicle.com

If any athletes should be competing as AIN, Yev Somov is a good example: someone who lived outside of Russia for years before the invasion without being part of its sports industry. There are undoubtedly such skaters, but I would be shocked if the FSFR sent any to the qualifying competition.

 

[On My Own]

The only thing that is "idiotic" about all this is the implication that Russian American skaters have some fundamental right to participate in the Olympics.

Yep, agreed.

 

[caseyedwards]

Russia’s only swimmer in Paris Olympics hails from Oakland and bears no flag

Every Olympian’s journey is unique and challenging. Then there’s Evgenii Somov’s. Russian by birth and Oakland resident by choice, he will be neutral in Paris.

www.sfchronicle.com

If any athletes should be competing as AIN, Yev Somov is a good example: someone who lived outside of Russia for years before the invasion without being part of its sports industry. There are undoubtedly such skaters, but I would be shocked if the FSFR sent any to the qualifying competition.

There would have to have been some measuring of this persons success? How many Russians are in university skating teams and where have they competed? US college figure skating competition? Did they win? Place highly? Is there a Russian woman doing quads and triple axels for an American university? Or a man?

Let’s say for arguments sake Vladimir volkov is a citizen of Russia -his most difficult jump is triple salchow and he won silver medal last year. Russia should send him?

All the best swimmers of the whole world move to America and join American universities swim teams! So that’s why Russia could go scouring American universities swim teams to try to nominate someone- and that person was respectable! Volkov wouldn’t be! Because skating doesn’t work that way! The best skaters of the world do not compete for Americas universities!!

 

[caseyedwards]

I ponder the invasion of the Ukraine and the suspicion of doping in Camp Eteri as well as the 2 cases of ordinal trading that I know of and I wonder if Russia’s participation is worth it

Russian skaters did the invasion and ordinal trading? lol even the doping is questionable

 

[TAHbKA]

You seem to take the word of some mysterious Russian "source" as being true. I do not.

Unlike you I understand Russian and know what I read.
The rules are idiotic. The Russian athletes should not be back to the Olympics and instead of just stating so the ISU comes up with moronic reasons to disqualify them.

 

[caseyedwards]

Implicit nonverbal support of war. Someone explain what implicit nonverbal is!

 

[MacMadame]

Unlike you I understand Russian and know what I read.
The rules are idiotic. The Russian athletes should not be back to the Olympics and instead of just stating so the ISU comes up with moronic reasons to disqualify them.

The article you posted was about FIG. If you have read a different article, a link would be nice.

 

[caseyedwards]

Everyone knows how fast Sportradar is. I just saw it took them just a few weeks to find the identities of Anonymous people on Twitter attacking tennis players! They must be waiting until after team trophy

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

I ponder the invasion of the Ukraine and the suspicion of doping in Camp Eteri as well as the 2 cases of ordinal trading that I know of and I wonder if Russia’s participation is worth it

Definately not, even if they bring big money. You`ve been watching this a long time like me. Russian participation has always soured competition. You`d have to be 13 yo or not too bright to think "this time it wil be different".

 

[caseyedwards]

Definately not, even if they bring big money. You`ve been watching this a long time like me. Russian participation has always soured competition. You`d have to be 13 yo or not too bright to think "this time it wil be different".

This is why the isu has chosen to totally impossible to define phrase implicit nonverbal support of war so as to make Russia banned forever! It is banned forever. Isu wants America winning 3/4 disciplines and really banned Russia forever to accomplish this. America is far more important to isu than Russia could ever hope to be

 

[TAHbKA]

ISU approved the neutral status for Petrosian, Gorbacheva, Gumennik and Dikidzhi.
None of the pairs/ice dancers was approved

 

[On My Own]

None of the pairs/ice dancers was approved

Any reason given?

 

[Amy L]

I wonder who they all nominated for pairs and dance. Their highest level seniors were always going to be risky, they should have thrown in some younger mid level teams just so they'd have a chance to get approved. The idea that MishGal could even pretend to be neutral is preposterous.

 

[TAHbKA]

I wonder who they all nominated for pairs and dance. Their highest level seniors were always going to be risky, they should have thrown in some younger mid level teams just so they'd have a chance to get approved. The idea that MishGal could even pretend to be neutral is preposterous.

Am curious whether Boikova/Kozlovski were in the list and if they were - why weren't they approved, taking they and Petrosian train in the same group. I don't recall Boykova talking about the war at all and the stuff Kozlovski said was quite vage.

Also if they gave 2 names for each discipline and ok, let's assume the first ice dancing team were Stepanova/Bukin, let's assume there was a reason to disqualify them for dunno, training with Zhulin. Their 2nd team were one of the teams who were too young to compete internationally or meet Putin (Khavronina/Narizhny o Kaganovskaya/Nekrasov or Pasechnik/Chirizano). I wonder on which basis they could go wrong or did they only name one team and that was SteBuks?

 

[Karen-W]

ISU approved the neutral status for Petrosian, Gorbacheva, Gumennik and Dikidzhi.
None of the pairs/ice dancers was approved

They also approved 6 Belarusian figure skaters.

https://isu-d8g8b4b7ece7aphs.a03.azurefd.net/isudamcontainer/CMS/Corporate-Site/Governance/Transparency/ISU-Communications/2708-Decisions-of-the-Council-May-13-25-1747147446-4356.pdf

Barakhouski and Puzanau are Men's Singles, Safanova & Sidarenka are Women's Singles and Plaskonnaya/Sytsik are Ice Dancers.

I wonder who they all nominated for pairs and dance. Their highest level seniors were always going to be risky, they should have thrown in some younger mid level teams just so they'd have a chance to get approved. The idea that MishGal could even pretend to be neutral is preposterous.

Oh, they certainly nominated MishGal for the AIN in pairs, no idea who the pairs substitute nomination was - BoiKoz were going to be problematic because of the Tula show. StepBuk had to have been nominated in ice dance & the idea that they were ever going to be approved was also preposterous. Not a clue who would have been the dance substitute.

 

[rfisher]

I wonder who they all nominated for pairs and dance. Their highest level seniors were always going to be risky, they should have thrown in some younger mid level teams just so they'd have a chance to get approved. The idea that MishGal could even pretend to be neutral is preposterous.

But, Boi/Koz should have been. It's clearly not Tutberidze who was an issue since they approved Petrosian and Danny G is choreographing Gumennik's new SP. I feel really sorry for Moskvina not having that chance to earn another OGM with one of her teams.

 

[Karen-W]

Am curious whether Boikova/Kozlovski were in the list and if they were - why weren't they approved, taking they and Petrosian train in the same group. I don't recall Boykova talking about the war at all and the stuff Kozlovski said was quite vage.

I'd guess their participation in the Tula show back in April 2022 would have been disqualifying for BoiKoz.

Also if they gave 2 names for each discipline and ok, let's assume the first ice dancing team were Stepanova/Bukin, let's assume there was a reason to disqualify them for dunno, training with Zhulin. Their 2nd team were one of the teams who were too young to compete internationally or meet Putin (Khavronina/Narizhny o Kaganovskaya/Nekrasov or Pasechnik/Chirizano). I wonder on which basis they could go wrong or did they only name one team and that was SteBuks?

StepBuk weren't getting approved for multiple reasons - not just training with Zhulin, but also the question of why Bukin was rejected for the 2018 Olympics (we know it was somehow related to the doping scandal), and then there was the matter of showing up at Putin's speech to the Federal Assembly last year. They're clearly pro-Putin.

I doubt any of us have scrubbed through the SM posts of those other three dance teams, but they could have posted pro-war posts in the early days, especially if they were young & naive and didn't realize this was going to still be going on 3 years later and could come back to haunt them.

 

[Ka3sha]

Am curious whether Boikova/Kozlovski were in the list and if they were - why weren't they approved, taking they and Petrosian train in the same group. I don't recall Boykova talking about the war at all and the stuff Kozlovski said was quite vage.

Also if they gave 2 names for each discipline and ok, let's assume the first ice dancing team were Stepanova/Bukin, let's assume there was a reason to disqualify them for dunno, training with Zhulin. Their 2nd team were one of the teams who were too young to compete internationally or meet Putin (Khavronina/Narizhny o Kaganovskaya/Nekrasov or Pasechnik/Chirizano). I wonder on which basis they could go wrong or did they only name one team and that was SteBuks?

If they submitted Mishina/Gallymov and Stepanova/Bukin as first options, and both were not approved by the Council, it means that the second options (let's say, B/K and Kaganovskaia) also automatically disqualify.
The subs options are only for the cases of injuries

 

[rfisher]

Special Screening Process Completed for Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) for the 2025/26 Olympic Qualification Events

Following the decisions of the ISU Council (ISU Communication 2708), the International Skating Union (ISU) has today published the list of Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) who have passed a special screening process, marking the first step toward their potential eligibility for participation...

isu.org

This specifically states that if the primary submission is deemed ineligible, so too are the substitutes, which would have been Boi/Koz for pairs. That really sucks for them.

 

[Debbie S]

If they submitted Mishina/Gallymov and Stepanova/Bukin as first options, and both were not approved by the Council, it means that the second options (let's say, B/K and Kaganovskaia) also automatically disqualify.
The subs options are only for the cases of injuries

So can we conclude that Petrosian and Gumennik will be the Russians at the OQE (and Olys if they qualify) and the second names are the subs?

 

[caseyedwards]

Eric Redford was a member and no Russian pairs! Coincidence? Yeah right

There is nothing that really separates any approved and not approved. They all did channel one cup

 

[Ka3sha]

So can we conclude that Petrosian and Gumennik will be the Russians at the OQE (and Olys if they qualify) and the second names are the subs?

Yes.

Gummenik is probably the only Russian skater I personally wanted to see compete internationally, so I am kinda happy the way it all is now.

 

[On My Own]

Eric Redford was a member and no Russian pairs! Coincidence? Yeah right

Right? That jealous, abuse apologist ass was obviously going to ban Putin apologists.