Elena Vyalbe ruled out granting new neutral statuses to Russian skiers

On January 18, Soviet and Russian skier Elena Vyalbe, head of the Russian Ski Sports Association, announced that none of the Russian skiers would no longer receive neutral status to participate in international competitions.

"Everyone who could has already received neutral status, no one else will receive it. There's nothing to discuss with me, it's their job," RIA Novosti quoted her as saying.

Previously, only two Russian skiers, Savely Korostelev and Daria Nepryaeva, had received neutral status for international starts. At the World Cup in Davos, they won quotas for participation in the 2026 Olympics in sprint and distance disciplines.

Selective collection: which Russian athletes will compete at the 2026 Olympics?

Not all of us with a neutral status managed to take part in the fight for game licenses.

On January 7, the IOC decided to ban the use of Russian symbols in the stands during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. It was noted that this decision applies to all countries, athletes from which can participate in the Games only in a neutral status.

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