ISU allows Russian and Belarusian skaters to return as neutral athletes
The International Skating Union (ISU) announced Tuesday that it will allow eligible skaters and Athlete Support Personnel affiliated with its member federations in Russia and Belarus to compete in ISU Events and International Competitions as neutral athletes (AIN) beginning with the 2026–27 season.
The move partially lifts the protective measures introduced in April 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Those measures prohibited skaters and officials affiliated with the ISU Members in Russia and Belarus from participating in ISU Events and International Competitions. At the time, the ISU said it adopted the measures to protect the safety of participants and the integrity of competitions.
Eligible athletes will compete without national flags, national team uniforms or national anthems.
Individual eligibility assessment
Rather than applying a blanket policy based on federation affiliation, the ISU will assess each application individually and without regard to nationality.
A skater or member of Athlete Support Personnel is not eligible to compete as a neutral athlete if they:
- are in active service with the armed forces or a national security agency of Russia or Belarus;
- have, at any time since February 2022, taken active part in military operations in the war against Ukraine; or
- have, at any time since February 2022, actively and publicly supported the war.
The ISU Council will determine eligibility and may delegate the process to an independent eligibility panel. Applicants will have an opportunity to be heard and may appeal a decision to withhold eligibility under ISU Regulations.
Acknowledgement required
Before competing as a neutral athlete, each skater and member of Athlete Support Personnel must complete an ISU acknowledgement form.
Among other things, the form requires participants to confirm that they have read and understood the Communication, accept the conditions of neutral participation, agree not to use ISU Events or International Competitions for political messaging, cooperate with eligibility screening, comply with ISU regulations and anti-doping obligations, and understand that false or misleading information may result in disciplinary action.
Team competitions included
Eligible neutral athletes may also compete in team events as part of an AIN (Athlete Individual Neutral) team, provided they meet the qualification criteria for the event.
This applies to Synchronized Skating, Speed Skating Team Pursuit, Short Track relay events and the ISU World Team Trophy. Teams will compete without national symbols, and every athlete must continue to satisfy the eligibility and neutrality requirements.
Council cites Olympic experience and IOC recommendations
In reaching its decision, the ISU Council said it considered recommendations published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in December 2025 and May 2026. It also reviewed developments across the Olympic Movement, the approaches taken by other International Federations, including instances where lifting restrictions led to incidents at competitions, and the participation of neutral athletes during the 2025–26 Olympic qualification events and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 without related incident.
Going forward, the ISU will continue to monitor conditions at its events. If no safety or integrity issues arise, it will ease the restrictions further. Should issues arise, the Council reserves the right to reintroduce or strengthen the protective measures.
The Communication also states that the decision does not affect the ISU’s continued condemnation of armed conflict or its ongoing financial support for the Ukrainian Skating Federation and displaced Ukrainian skaters.
The new policy takes effect immediately and applies from the 2026–27 season.
