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Flags hang outside the Russian Olympic Committee offices. Artyom Geodakyan/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa
Nine skiers from Russia and Belarus have been approved by the ruling body FIS to compete in qualifying events for the Winter Olympics in February as neutral athletes.
They are led by Belarusian freestyle skier Hanna Huskova, who won aerials gold in 2018 plus silver in 2022, and Russian Anastasia Tatalina, a 2021 Big Air world champion.
The six Belaruian athletes are five freestyle aerials skiers as well as alpine skier Maria Shkanova. The two Russians apart from Tatalina are cross country skiers Savelii Korostelev and Dariya Nepryaeva.
The FIS, which oversees alpine and Nordic skiing as well as freestyle and snowboard, banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes from its events after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
But the Court of Arbitration (CAS) last week upheld appeals from Russia and Belarus, saying that the FIS must accept applications for neutral status to allow them into qualifying events for the February 6-22, 2026, Olympics in Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The FIS said on Wednesday that the nine selected athletes had passed a strict and independent review process. Atthletes can not publically support the Ukraine war or be affiliated with the military and other security forces.
The statement did not say whether the FIS rejected other applications. It said it would process more applications in the coming weeks.
All athletes have to compete as neutral athletes without their country's symbols and anthems.
The International Olympic Committee decided before the Paris 2024 Olympics that Russians and Belarusians should be allowed to return as neutrals under strict conditions. It decided the same for Milan/Cortina, with the sports federations in charge of the selection process.
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