The decision, announced after a meeting of the FIS Council on Tuesday, means competitors from the two countries will not be able to qualify for the Games in Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboarding, broadcaster NBC Sports reported.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently said Russian athletes could take part in the 2026 Winter Games in Italy under a neutral flag, but left the final decision to individual sports federations.
The IOC’s Authorized Neutral Athlete (AIN) system was designed as a possible pathway for individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Games, provided they qualify and meet strict conditions—including having no links to the military or security services and no record of publicly supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Each sport’s governing body must approve participation by neutral athletes in its events.
The International Skating Union (ISU) had earlier decided to admit neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus, a move that drew criticism from several sports bodies and national federations, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
FIS suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions in 2022, shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale war against Ukraine.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in northern Italy from February 6 to 22, 2026.
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Source: PAP, NBC Sports