Neutral Figure Skaters Clinch Spots for 2026 Winter Olympics
Adeliia Petrosian and Viktoriia Safonova secure individual qualification as neutral athletes for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games following strong performances in Beijing.
Adeliia Petrosian and Viktoriia Safonova, competing as Individual Neutral Athletes (INAs), have earned qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina following standout performances at the Beijing qualifier.
At the qualifying event in Beijing, 18-year-old Petrosian led the field after the short program and sealed her Olympic berth with a final score of 209.63 points. Safonova climbed from seventh to fourth place in the free skate, securing her ticket to Italy.
Since the start of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, athletes from Russia and Belarus have competed under the neutral flag in select sports. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Friday that neutral athletes with Russian or Belarusian citizenship will be allowed to participate under the same terms as at the 2024 Paris Games.
The IOC statement emphasized that 32 neutral athletes from 10 sports competed in Paris without incident. It also clarified that no teams from Russia or Belarus will be admitted, and individuals who actively support the war are ineligible. Neutral athletes will be excluded from the opening ceremony and their medals will not count toward the official medal table.
Two Russian figure skaters will compete under a neutral banner in Milan and Cortina after demonstrating elite performances in Beijing, reflecting the IOC’s balanced approach toward athletes amid geopolitical tensions.
This topic was reported by BBC.
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