Russian luge athletes will not be permitted to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina even under neutral status, following a decisive vote by the International Luge Federation FIL on Wednesday.
Meeting in Tampere, Finland, the FIL congress voted 24 to 7 in favour of upholding the ongoing ban on Russian participation in international luge events. A second vote, which would have authorised a programme for neutral Russian athletes, was also defeated by a 24 to 8 margin.
The outcome means that Russian lugers, along with their entourage, will be barred from competing at the 2026 Games, extending the sport’s position of zero tolerance amid the ongoing geopolitical fallout from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
This outcome reflects our collective responsibility to uphold fair and safe competition said FIL President Einars Fogelis. We fully respect the diversity of views within our community, especially from our athletes, but the decision today leaves no ambiguity.
The International Olympic Committee IOC has left decisions on Russian participation to individual sports federations, but maintains its own general sanctions. Teams representing Russia or Belarus remain banned from the Milan Cortina Games, while only a small number of individual athletes have been conditionally cleared to compete in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics as neutrals with no flag, anthem or national identification.
In the context of winter sports, the luge federation has taken one of the firmest stances to date. By contrast, the International Skating Union has approved four Russian figure skaters, two men and two women, to attempt qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics under a neutral banner.
The decision by FIL may further isolate Russia in the Olympic movement and is likely to provoke criticism from Russian officials who have repeatedly accused sporting bodies of politicising global sport.
The Milan Cortina Games are scheduled to begin on 6 February 2026.
