Russia announces pay for athletes banned from Winter Olympics in controversial move

Ed Griffiths
Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:12:37 +0000

The Russian Olympic Committee has announced it will pay financial compensation to 116 Russian athletes who were prevented from competing at this year's Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

ROC chairman and Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev revealed the decision during a Tuesday meeting with the 13 Russian competitors who did participate at the Games as neutrals.

Degtyarev said: "We decided at the executive committee meeting to award monetary bonuses to all Olympic athletes who were unable to travel to the Games due to treacherous political decisions."

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the International Olympic Committee barred athletes holding Russian or Belarusian passports from competing under their national colours at major international sporting events.

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However, the IOC established a route for individual competitors to participate as neutrals.

They were required to use a neutral kit and compete without national flags or anthems.

To qualify for the Italian Games, athletes were required to pass a rigorous vetting process demonstrating they had never actively supported the conflict in Ukraine and maintained no connections to the military.

Just 13 Russian athletes successfully met these criteria and were cleared to compete at Milano Cortina in February.

Degtyarev emphasised that both the Ministry of Sport and the ROC were working to secure the complete return of Russian competitors to international events under their national banner and anthem.

He said: "Where necessary, we negotiate; where that fails, we defend the athletes' rights in court so that our team can compete for medals with a full roster."

The announcement came during an executive committee session attended by the athletes who had represented Russia as neutrals at the Winter Games.

Russia's sporting authorities have consistently pushed back against the restrictions imposed since the 2022 invasion.

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They have pursued both diplomatic and legal avenues to restore full participation rights.

Nikita Filippov secured Russia's sole medal at the Games, claiming silver in ski mountaineering during the sport's Olympic debut.

The Winter Paralympics in March saw a notable shift.

Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes were permitted to compete under their national flags for the first time since 2014.

It came after the International Paralympic Committee's decision to lift its suspension of both nations in September.

Further changes may be on the horizon.

Speculation that restrictions could be eased under new IOC president Kirsty Coventry would potentially allow Russian and Belarusian competitors to return to full national representation as early as the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

GB News has approached the IOC for comment.