IOC’s Bach urges international federations to review restrictions for Russian athletes

WASHINGTON: International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach urged sports federations to study the possibility of allowing Russians to ...

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WASHINGTON: International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach urged sports federations to study the possibility of allowing Russians to compete in Olympic qualification tournaments.

The International Skating Union earlier allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in neutral status in the selection for the 2026 Milan-Cortina games. A similar decision was made for ski mountaineers.

"The mission of the Olympic Movement is to unify," he said in an interview with AP. "This is something the winter sports federations should study very carefully."

In March 2023, the IOC recommended that Russian athletes be admitted to tournaments exclusively in neutral status and only if they are not affiliated with the armed forces and do not represent team sports.

The 2026 Olympics will take place from February 6 to 22.

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