Court eases ban on Russian lugers but Olympic hopes on thin ice / Photo: WANG Zhao - AFP/File
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Court eases ban on Russian lugers but Olympic hopes on thin ice
Banned Russian athletes gained a limited victory but probably not the hoped-for 2026 Winter Olympic slots as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) handed down two decisions on Friday.
CAS accepted an argument from six Russian competitors that the International Luge Federation (FIL) was wrong to argue that it had to ban them for safety reasons. But the court rejected the lugers' request for immediate reinstatement.
CAS also threw out an attempt by a Russian speed skater to be allowed to compete as an individual neutral athlete (AIN).
FIL banned Russian lugers after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022 and extended the ban in 2024 and again in June 2025, arguing it was doing so for the safety of other competitors and spectators and not on the basis of nationality.
CAS responded on Friday that "that the overall exclusion of Russian athletes was not a proportionate measure to...preserve safe racing conditions, since additional measures could be found to conciliate safety with the participation of Russian athletes."
CAS ruled that Russian athletes could compete if they satisfy AIN criteria but it added: "The request by the six athletes to immediately participate in international events was dismissed."
There is no guarantee that Russian lugers will resume competition in time to qualify for the Milan-Cortina Games, since FIL and then the International Olympic Committee will need to examine applications for neutral status. Athletes must prove they did not actively support the war in Ukraine or have any links with their countries' armies.
Speed skater Daria Kachanova lost her appeal against a ruling by the International Skating Union that she could not compete as an AIN because of her affiliation with CSKA Moscow sports club which is controlled by the Russian Ministry of Defence.
CAS upheld the ban asserted that it was not "a sanction based on nationality".
G.Stevens--AMWN