Although Russia, stripped of eligibility by the International Olympic Committee, sent 13 athletes to the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), the number of Russian-born competitors at the Games appears to be far higher.
The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 6 that many Russian-born athletes competing in Milan-Cortina changed nationality after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, concerned that nationality issues could block their Olympic medal hopes.
Olympic historian Bill Mallon estimated about 40 Russian-born athletes are competing at these Olympics, more than triple the number entered under AIN status.
Most are representing countries near Russia, including Kazakhstan, Armenia and Georgia, the report said.
All three members of Moldova's biathlon team were born in Russia, making up more than half of Moldova's five-athlete delegation. Moldova is a small Eastern European country between Romania and Ukraine.
About two-thirds of Georgia's delegation is also Russian-born, the WSJ said. It includes ice dancers Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin, who competed for the Russian Olympic Committee at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The newspaper said they had tried to skate for the United States but ultimately chose Georgia.
In figure skating, long seen as a Russian strength, many Russian-born athletes have also switched nationalities. They are now spread across the teams of Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. In pairs, 28% of competitors are Russian-born.
Some have criticized the nationality switches. Dmitry Vasiliev, a Russian biathlete, said, "You have only one homeland — the place you were born," adding, "Russians feel comfortable only in Russia," according to the report.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry has also suggested Russia's ban could be lifted.
In a speech to the IOC session on Feb. 3, Coventry did not mention Russia directly but said, "We are a sports organization," and stressed that sport should remain a neutral arena.
The New York Times noted her remarks came as the IOC recently allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2026 Dakar Summer Youth Olympics, and as FIFA President Gianni Infantino argued Russia should return to international competitions.
The NYT described the comments as a sign of a possible return for Russia, a sports power that has been sidelined for more than a decade, saying Russia's isolation in international sports may soon end.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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