Russian Skaters Allowed to Compete as Neutrals (AIN) to Qualify for 2026 Winter Olympics

[TAHbKA]

So instead of Zhulin it will be Durnev or Petukhov. Have you heard their last names? There you go.

 

[MacMadame]

I don't understand the ISU decision. I can't imagine subjecting Shmuratko or Ukrainian coaches to share a space with someone like Zhulin. What have chamged? Have the war stopped? If not - what is the difference now?

It's the same dumb logic that let Valieva skate at the 2022 Olympics. That not being able to go to the Olympics would irreparably harm her because it's the pinnacle of the sport.

Also, apparently, people don't understand how sanctions and boycotts work. Making all these exceptions for "deserving" people takes the pressure off the government. Think of all the athletes and entertainers in South Africa who missed many opportunities during apartheid. A few people whined that it wasn't fair but most people understood the assignment. Unlike the IOC and the ISU.

Zhulin's never going to be approved as a coach at the Olympics under these restrictions. Neither will Plushenko. Both of them have been far too supportive of the war.

The faith some of you have that the ISU is going to take this criteria seriously is touching. We've seen how other sports have handled this -- badly -- and nothing the ISU has done gives me the remotest bit of confidence that they won't mess it up too.

I love figure skating, but this ISU decision makes me puke.

I did feel a bit nauseous reading this thread yesterday.

 

[olympic]

I promise to be more present on FSU going forward.

What to say about all this? My random streams of consciousness:

USSR / Russia has more often than not been the perfect sports villain for the West. Excluding them from competitions has lowered the tension and the drama of the sport. But, what is the appropriate way to handle this?

Amidst Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I forget all about the Eteri doping scandal - That is 2 major strikes against Russia, one is an internationally immoral act, the other is a sporting violation. There have also been a few judging scandals in the mix.

How much should we be willing to tolerate from Russia?

In addition to monitoring drug abuse by Russian athletes and their trainers, we now have to determine how pro-war or pro-Putin Russian athletes are. How do we profile athletes as it relates to their authoritarian government, who holds the purse strings for the sport? There is a good chance they are going along to get along. Others may be fascists at heart (I've always despised Katsalapov and his character).

I think Russia's bad behavior is the result of a lack of strength, but eluding to my opening sentence, the sport has always benefitted from Russia and its great athletes but scandalous federation. Looking back to 2022, Kamila Valieva should never have competed after a positive test, but was permitted. The ISU and Russia have a severely dysfunctional relationship

I don't believe Russian athletes should compete based on the war in Ukraine AND the doping scandal. Not until Russia is out of the Ukraine and they take responsibility for Camp Eteri, horrible long shots. But we don't live in an ideal world anymore.

But, if they are going to let them compete as 1 entry per discipline, the RUS federation should just select whom they want to send, but maybe with strong doping control (those are just words. I don't know how to do that). I don't think we can easily prove who is Pro-Putin or pro-war. Stripping Russia of its flag and anthem is weak sauce. It's a half measure that does nothing. We all know they are Russians competing. Who are they kidding? It was supposed to humiliate them, but we live in a pretty shameless world now. The solutions should be - All in or all out.

 

[muffinplus]

So instead of Zhulin it will be Durnev or Petukhov. Have you heard their last names? There you go.

I have no idea if they would pass the criteria. Regardless, I would imagine Ukrainian skaters wouldn't want to see anyone Russian period whether they are anti-war or not.

 

[caseyedwards]

So instead of Zhulin it will be Durnev or Petukhov. Have you heard their last names? There you go.

It’s not like Russia can just name people. There are going to be screeners investigating every aspect of the persons life. And the rules are so broad. Was this years Russian nationals sponsored by companies sanctioned for war involvement? Yes. That will easily lead to everyone involved in any aspect of this years Nationals out.

Not to mention the Channel one trophy!! Here is a state controlled war propaganda channel that all elite Russian skaters competed on In a made for tv skating spectacle! They are all out
2023

Teams​
Team name	Event	Members
Not Gonna Get Us (Kamila Valieva)	Men Women Pairs Ice Dance*	Dmitri Aliev, Makar Ignatov, Andrei Mozalev, Evgeni Semenenko Ksenia Gushchina [a], Sofia Muravieva, Sofia Samodelkina, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Anastasia Zinina [a] Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii, Yasmina Kadyrova / Valerii Kolesov Sofia Tyutyunina / Andrei Bagin, Elizaveta Shanaeva / Pavel Drozd
Red Machine (Alina Zagitova)	Men Women Pairs Ice Dance*	Petr Gumennik, Artem Kovalev, Gleb Lutfullin, Alexander Samarin Sofia Akateva, Alina Gorbacheva, Adeliia Petrosian, Veronika Yametova Anastasia Mishina / Aleksandr Galliamov, Evgenia Tarasova / Vladimir Morozov Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva / Egor Bazin, Vasilisa Kaganovskaia / Valeriy Angelopol

2024

v	Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov	Aleksandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin
Alisa Dvoeglazova	Lev Lazarev	Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitri Kozlovski	Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva/Egor Bazin
Lidiia Pleskacheva	Ivan Ramzenkov	Yulia Artemieva/Aleksei Bryukhanov	Irina Khavronina/Devid Narizhny
Adeliia Petrosian	Evgeni Semenenko	Ekaterina Chikmareva/Matvei Yanchenkov	Ekaterina Mironova/Evgeni Ustenko
Ksenia Sinitsyna	Mark Kondratiuk	Natalia Khabibullina/Ilya Knyazhuk	Sofia Leontieva/Daniil Gorelkin
Anna Frolova	Vladislav Dikidzhi	Elizaveta Osokina/Artem Gritsaenko	Sofia Shevchenko/Andrei Ezhlov
Alina Gorbacheva	Dmitri Aliev
Veronika Yametova	Roman Savosin
Daria Sadkova	Daniil Samsonov
Sofia Muravieva	Petr Gumennik
Maria Agaeva	Matvei Vetlugin
Ksenia Gushchina	Alexander Samarin

There is no difference between Plushenko Z show and the channel one show. In fact channel one is worse

U.S. Treasury Takes Sweeping Action Against Russia’s War Efforts​

May 8, 2022
Designations Include Financial Executives, Weapons Manufacturer, and State-Controlled Television Stations
New Prohibitions Ban Services Critical to Russia’s Wartime Effort


THREE OF RUSSIA’S TOP STATE-OWNED TELEVISION STATIONS

Today, OFAC is designating three of Russia’s most highly viewed state-owned television stations pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the GoR. All three stations are directly or indirectly state-owned and controlled and have been among the largest recipients of foreign advertising revenue, which is fed back to the Russian state.

The three state-owned and controlled networks OFAC designated today are:

• Joint Stock Company Channel One Russia
• Television Station Russia-1
• Joint Stock Company NTV Broadcasting Company

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0771

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0771

And of course I know Valieva wasn’t really a coach of anyone but she is a banned skater who was the captain of a team with almost all the top skaters in Russia

 

[Vagabond]

Russian coaches are generally allowed at ISU competitions if they can get the visas. It's the Russian skaters that are banned, not the coaches. Whether this should be so is another matter.

 

[caseyedwards]

Russian coaches are generally allowed at ISU competitions if they can get the visas. It's the Russian skaters that are banned, not the coaches. Whether this should be so is another matter.

Not if they are going to be there with a Russian skater

• Athletes and their Support Personnel will undergo careful examination of public statements and appearances to see if individuals may have supported the invasion of Ukraine.

If there is a coach with Russian students and students from other countries i guess they would be banned!! So it would be the professional obligation for that coach to drop any Russian skater if they also wanted to coach the Azeri skater or whatever. They don’t want to be put under a microscope!!

 

[misskarne]

I was absolutely disgusted to read this. No Russian skater should be allowed to set foot on internationally competitive ice again until such time as Russia is completely gone from Ukraine and the country is rebuilt. And if that means generations of Russian skaters not getting to compete, so be it.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I was absolutely disgusted to read this. No Russian skater should be allowed to set foot on internationally competitive ice again until such time as Russia is completely gone from Ukraine and the country is rebuilt. And if that means generations of Russian skaters not getting to compete, so be it.

Can I ask what’s going on with other sports? And also the winter Olympics? What about the skiers and the luge and the hockey players and all that? Are they doing the same thing with the other sports as well?

 

[misskarne]

Can I ask what’s going on with other sports? And also the winter Olympics? What about the skiers and the luge and the hockey players and all that? Are they doing the same thing with the other sports as well?

I don't know. At present I can only speak to motorsport, and Russian drivers must sign a declaration that they denounce Putin's actions in Ukraine before they can compete in the big series. Tellingly, I can't think of any Russian driver in any major series.

A driver could, I suppose, compete in a non-FIA sanctioned series, but NASCAR and Indycar are the only major ones of those, and it's not happening there, either.

Though the president of the FIA is apparently investigating removing the denouncement clause, but what else can we expect of a man like Mohammed Bin Sulayem, the wannabe dictator of motorsport?

 

[happycamper2554]

Can I ask what’s going on with other sports? And also the winter Olympics? What about the skiers and the luge and the hockey players and all that? Are they doing the same thing with the other sports as well?

When i quickly turned on swimming worlds, the Russians were competing as AINs including in "Team" relays. I have no idea what the conditions for them being able to compete was.

 

[caseyedwards]

When i quickly turned on swimming worlds, the Russians were competing as AINs including in "Team" relays. I have no idea what the conditions for them being able to compete was.

just short course swimming worlds! Not the full one. But still isu has banned multiple entrants so this can’t be the case. Isu has much different rules

 

[caseyedwards]

I was absolutely disgusted to read this. No Russian skater should be allowed to set foot on internationally competitive ice again until such time as Russia is completely gone from Ukraine and the country is rebuilt. And if that means generations of Russian skaters not getting to compete, so be it.

Lol

 

[ajingmarg]

Put it this way. Russia will gain territories and will not be out of Ukrainine before certain goals are accomplished

I was absolutely disgusted to read this. No Russian skater should be allowed to set foot on internationally competitive ice again until such time as Russia is completely gone from Ukraine and the country is rebuilt. And if that means generations of Russian skaters not getting to compete, so bW

 

[Tinycities]

The comments on vadym kolesniks instagram post are absolutely disgusting. The lack of empathy for Russian fans to comment that shit when Russia has literally blown up not only his home rink but his brothers home.

 

[MsZem]

I don't know. At present I can only speak to motorsport, and Russian drivers must sign a declaration that they denounce Putin's actions in Ukraine before they can compete in the big series. Tellingly, I can't think of any Russian driver in any major series.

I imagine any Russian driver who would sign such a statement would have to stay away from windows indefinitely.

 

[Miezekatze]

I imagine any Russian driver who would sign such a statement would have to stay away from windows indefinitely.

Maybe some Russian F1 drivers live completely elsewhere, without any ties to Russia?

Like Daria Kasatkina.

I follow Daria and Natalia Zabiiako them on instagram and they seem to be popular just about anywhere but in Russia. Even some Ukrainian fans seem to like them. I assume they can also travel about anywhere but Russia.

I think they published an anti-war poem directly after the war broke out.

I think it's "easier" though in sports where there's no government funding.

 

[masik]

The comments on vadym kolesniks instagram post are absolutely disgusting. The lack of empathy for Russian fans to comment that shit when Russia has literally blown up not only his home rink but his brothers home.

Not sure if it can be posted here. But please read the comments from ex-skaters, US officials, skating agent, ex-Ukrainian skating federation president about participating in Russian skating shows. Heartbreaking.

Facebook

www.facebook.com

 

[muffinplus]

Not sure if it can be posted here. But please read the comments from ex-skaters, US officials, skating agent, ex-Ukrainian skating federation president about participating in Russian skating shows. Heartbreaking.

Facebook

www.facebook.com

It's her personal decision, and one i am not sure she didn't take lightly judging from this video. For her sake, I would hope she is safe while she is there...

 

[Sylvia]

... please read the comments from ex-skaters, US officials, skating agent, ex-Ukrainian skating federation president about participating in Russian skating shows. Heartbreaking.

Are you talking about comments on Naomi's FB? (glad I can't see them, if so) Fortunately she turned off the comments on her YT video.

The comments on vadym kolesniks instagram post are absolutely disgusting. The lack of empathy for Russian fans to comment that shit when Russia has literally blown up not only his home rink but his brothers home.

Starr Andrews even got trolled for posting her support for Vadym (and she didn't take the bait, good for her).

Kolesnik has a full-out post now with photos of the offenders.

vadymkolesnik on Instagram: "I would like to express my concern and to advocate for the exclusion of Russia from the Olympic qualifying series. This request is grounded in two significant issues: the ongoing war in Ukraine and the persistent doping s

1,064 likes, 237 comments - vadym____kolesnik on December 20, 2024: "I would like to express my concern and to advocate for the exclusion of Russia from the Olympic qualifying series. This request is grounded in two significant issues: the ongoing war in Ukraine and the persistent doping...

www.instagram.com

Copying out Vadym's full post:

I would like to express my concern and to advocate for the exclusion of Russia from the Olympic qualifying series. This request is grounded in two significant issues: the ongoing war in Ukraine and the persistent doping scandals involving Russian athletes.

Firstly, the war in Ukraine, initiated by Russia, has had devastating consequences, resulting in the loss of countless lives and widespread destruction. The international community has condemned these actions, and it is crucial that sports organizations like the International Skating Union take a stand against such aggression. Allowing Russia to participate in the Olympic qualifying series sends a contradictory message and undermines the principles of peace and unity that the Olympic Games represent.

Secondly, the history of doping scandals involving Russian athletes cannot be overlooked. Despite numerous warnings and sanctions, there have been multiple instances where Russian athletes have been found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs. This not only tarnishes the integrity of the sport but also creates an unfair playing field for athletes from other countries who compete cleanly and fairly.

In case this post does not change anything, just want to remind all that acording to the rules that @isufigureskating has posted, all of these athletes should be prohibited from participating in the 2026 Olympic Qualification. #russiaterroiststate #betterwithoutthem #cleansport #figureskating #slavaukraine

Vadym's polite response to a trollish comment:

... Thank you for your input.
Politics and figure skating are not intertwined in the USA or many other countries, unlike russia. russian athletes continue to support and promote russian war propaganda. I hope that isu will do their due diligence in vetting supposed neutral athletes!

ETA Nadiia Bashynska's comment: "I'm with you entirely "

 

[Karen-W]

One other thing that just occurred to me... Presuming RUS/BLR is not allowed back to international competition in the fall, every single AIN approved is going to be skating first in Milano-Cortina as they will have no WS points or ranking. I don't think that will hurt a team like Mishina/Galliamov since they are the reigning Olympic bronze medalists. It also probably wouldn't hurt Stepanova/Bukin if they're allowed to go, since they had such a high WR before the ban. The men and women, it could definitely hurt them skating that early.

And, I was misremembering the discussion about Russian dance teams on X earlier in the week. It's Khavronina whose dad is involved with the Russian military, so she & her partner are probably out. Khudaiberdieva's ex-husband was a producer at Channel 1 which isn't really enough to disqualify her based on the criteria the ISU has provided, I don't think.

 

[caseyedwards]

One other thing that just occurred to me... Presuming RUS/BLR is not allowed back to international competition in the fall, every single AIN approved is going to be skating first in Milano-Cortina as they will have no WS points or ranking. I don't think that will hurt a team like Mishina/Galliamov since they are the reigning Olympic bronze medalists. It also probably wouldn't hurt Stepanova/Bukin if they're allowed to go, since they had such a high WR before the ban. The men and women, it could definitely hurt them skating that early.

And, I was misremembering the discussion about Russian dance teams on X earlier in the week. It's Khavronina whose dad is involved with the Russian military, so she & her partner are probably out. Khudaiberdieva's ex-husband was a producer at Channel 1 which isn't really enough to disqualify her based on the criteria the ISU has provided, I don't think.

Channel one is state controlled and has been called the official channel for war support. Isu bans any “implicit” support as well as explicit. Khudaiberdieva herself was in channel one cup! The official isu rules are almost entirely about guilt by association. It’s a sanctioned channel! Isu also demand Russian skaters know things like what has been sanctioned by United States Eu UN etc.

 

[Sylvia]

Isu bans any “implicit” support as well as explicit. ... The official isu rules are almost entirely about guilt by association. ... Isu also demand Russian skaters know things like what has been sanctioned by United States Eu UN etc.

Okaaaay. Just keep posting that over and over again and we'll find out eventually if you turn out to be right.

The thread title is so misleading!!

False. You didn’t read anything the isu said. Only the thread title which is totally divorced from what the isu said! Or a comment from someone who also didn’t read what the isu said. Any Russian skater who has participated in any state event is banned. Who does that leave! No one who has competed or probably even lived in Russia for over 3 years!

BTW, I decided not to modify my original thread title just to spite you. For the record, I did consider using "ISU decision concerning the participation of a limited number of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) from Russia & Belarus at Olympic Qualification Events under strict conditions" but, in the end, felt it was too long and unwieldy.

 

[Karen-W]

We don’t know who bid for the qualifying competition or not. It does seem rather convenient that Beijing was chosen - a country to which Russian and Belarusian skaters will have no issues travelling. Also much easier to control the media in China.

Circling back to this once again - really, the fact that the Figure Skating OQE is in Beijing is NOT related to this decision to allow RUS/BLR to attempt to qualify. It doesn't have anything to do with it being easier to travel to China than western countries. It doesn't have anything to do with the media control in China vs. the west.

How am I so certain of this?

Here is the list of OQEs where RUS/BLR athletes may attempt to qualify for Milano-Cortina in Short-Track and Speed Skating:

• Short Track:
o ISU Short Track World Tour – October 16-19, 2025 – Montreal, Canada
o ISU Short Track World Tour – October 23-26, 2025 – Salt Lake City, USA
o ISU Short Track World Tour – November 20-23, 2025 – Gdansk, Poland
o ISU Short Track World Tour – November 27-30, 2025 – Dordrecht, Netherlands

•Speed Skating:
o ISU World Cup Speed Skating – November 14-16, 2025 – Salt Lake City, USA
o ISU World Cup Speed Skating – November 21-23, 2025 – Calgary, Canada
o ISU World Cup Speed Skating – December 5-7, 2025 – Heerenveen, Netherlands
o ISU World Cup Speed Skating – December 12-14, 2025 – Hamar, Norway

The selection of Beijing for the FS OQE is NOT some "convenient" selection the ISU made with the knowledge they were heading down this AIN path, no matter how 'conspiracy theorist' you want to be about it. Surely, if that were the case then none of Canada, the USA, Poland, the Netherlands or Norway would have been designated for Short-Track and Speed Skating - unless you think the media is equally controlled in those five countries as it is in China, but that is probably a conversation that belongs in PI if so. And it's certainly not easy to get to Russia from the USA and vice versa, given that Naomi Lang said it's going to take something like 30 hours for her to get there. The lack of direct travel links to western Europe and North America from Russia is still very real and that's not even taking into consideration the challenges of receiving visas from some of the countries with designated OQEs in Short-Track and Speed Skating.

 

[caseyedwards]

Circling back to this once again - really, the fact that the Figure Skating OQE is in Beijing is NOT related to this decision to allow RUS/BLR to attempt to qualify. It doesn't have anything to do with it being easier to travel to China than western countries. It doesn't have anything to do with the media control in China vs. the west.

How am I so certain of this?

Here is the list of OQEs where RUS/BLR athletes may attempt to qualify for Milano-Cortina in Short-Track and Speed Skating:

• Short Track:
o ISU Short Track World Tour – October 16-19, 2025 – Montreal, Canada
o ISU Short Track World Tour – October 23-26, 2025 – Salt Lake City, USA
o ISU Short Track World Tour – November 20-23, 2025 – Gdansk, Poland
o ISU Short Track World Tour – November 27-30, 2025 – Dordrecht, Netherlands

•Speed Skating:
o ISU World Cup Speed Skating – November 14-16, 2025 – Salt Lake City, USA
o ISU World Cup Speed Skating – November 21-23, 2025 – Calgary, Canada
o ISU World Cup Speed Skating – December 5-7, 2025 – Heerenveen, Netherlands
o ISU World Cup Speed Skating – December 12-14, 2025 – Hamar, Norway

The selection of Beijing for the FS OQE is NOT some "convenient" selection the ISU made with the knowledge they were heading down this AIN path, no matter how 'conspiracy theorist' you want to be about it. Surely, if that were the case then none of Canada, the USA, Poland, the Netherlands or Norway would have been designated for Short-Track and Speed Skating - unless you think the media is equally controlled in those five countries as it is in China, but that is probably a conversation that belongs in PI if so. And it's certainly not easy to get to Russia from the USA and vice versa, given that Naomi Lang said it's going to take something like 30 hours for her to get there. The lack of direct travel links to western Europe and North America from Russia is still very real and that's not even taking into consideration the challenges of receiving visas from some of the countries with designated OQEs in Short-Track and Speed Skating.

Okaaaay. Just keep posting that over and over again and we'll find out eventually if you turn out to be right.


BTW, I decided not to modify my original thread title just to spite you. For the record, I did consider using "ISU decision concerning the participation of a limited number of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) from Russia & Belarus at Olympic Qualification Events under strict conditions" but, in the end, felt it was too long and unwieldy.

Well people are acting like there will be 3 pairs 3 dance teams 3 men and 3 women and Russia will be in team event and everything because of the thread title. It’s completely unimaginable based on the rules isu issued any Russians are eligible. Really I expect more applause for isu continued effort to destroy skating in Russia

 

[Karen-W]

Well people are acting like there will be 3 pairs 3 dance teams 3 men and 3 women and Russia will be in team event and everything because of the thread title. It’s completely unimaginable based on the rules isu issued any Russians are eligible. Really I expect more applause for isu continued effort to destroy skating in Russia

No, people are NOT. People are asking questions because they haven't bothered with reading the whole discussion thread - between @Sylvia and myself, we posted all of that information in the first two posts in this discussion.

The thread title is NOT misleading. There are a lot of questions as to what the ISU will consider to be "implicit" support for the war. There's enough grey area that the ISU could very well make it known, quietly, to the RFSF that any of their top athletes who have participated in the likes of the Channel 1 Cup are considered to be acting as propagandists for the state and supporting the war, regardless of whether those skaters are privately opposed to it.

My expectation is that the ISU/IOC are going to take a middle ground and view participation in events like Nationals or the Channel 1 Cup, or even shows/tours supported by government grants as okay, provided the skater in question has a clean media/social media profile with no overt support for the war or attendance at any pro-war rallies. I also think that skaters like Boikova/Kozlovskii and Tuktamysheva who immediately after the Tula show disavowed their participation in it are going to be fine.
Skaters who may run into trouble are ones like Stepanova/Bukin who attended Putin's speech to the Federal Assembly last February or who have been clear war supporters like Kondratiuk (as well as the retired ones like Tarasova/Morozov and Sinitsina/Katsalapov). Same with Khavronina, whose dad is affiliated with the Russian military and quite wealthy as a result.

With regard to Valieva - I suspect that any skaters who trained with Valieva before the WADA ban was announced are going to be okay provided they have not associated/trained with her since then. Skaters who have come out since the WADA ban to express support for her... They may have a tougher time being approved as that is, quite clearly, an explicit expression of support for someone who has a doping violation.

Additionally, any skaters who were under the care of the esteemed Dr. Shvetsky at any point in their career may have a tough time being approved seeing as he DID serve a WADA ban for his role in the 2008 Beijing rowers doping scandal. That could be quite problematic for Petrosian as she has been coached by Team Eteri for several years.

The ISU/IOC are going to have to tread a very careful line here on who is or is not approved because you can be certain that FS fans will provide receipts and hold them accountable. There's no amount of "they won't be allowed to participate in press conferences or go through the mixed zone" that is going to shield the ISU themselves from massive backlash if they let anyone in who is obviously supporting Putin and his war.

 

[caseyedwards]

No, people are NOT. People are asking questions because they haven't bothered with reading the whole discussion thread - between @Sylvia and myself, we posted all of that information in the first two posts in this discussion.

The thread title is NOT misleading. There are a lot of questions as to what the ISU will consider to be "implicit" support for the war. There's enough grey area that the ISU could very well make it known, quietly, to the RFSF that any of their top athletes who have participated in the likes of the Channel 1 Cup are considered to be acting as propagandists for the state and supporting the war, regardless of whether those skaters are privately opposed to it.

My expectation is that the ISU/IOC are going to take a middle ground and view participation in events like Nationals or the Channel 1 Cup, or even shows/tours supported by government grants as okay, provided the skater in question has a clean media/social media profile with no overt support for the war or attendance at any pro-war rallies. I also think that skaters like Boikova/Kozlovskii and Tuktamysheva who immediately after the Tula show disavowed their participation in it are going to be fine.
Skaters who may run into trouble are ones like Stepanova/Bukin who attended Putin's speech to the Federal Assembly last February or who have been clear war supporters like Kondratiuk (as well as the retired ones like Tarasova/Morozov and Sinitsina/Katsalapov). Same with Khavronina, whose dad is affiliated with the Russian military and quite wealthy as a result.

With regard to Valieva - I suspect that any skaters who trained with Valieva before the WADA ban was announced are going to be okay provided they have not associated/trained with her since then. Skaters who have come out since the WADA ban to express support for her... They may have a tougher time being approved as that is, quite clearly, an explicit expression of support for someone who has a doping violation.

Additionally, any skaters who were under the care of the esteemed Dr. Shvetsky at any point in their career may have a tough time being approved seeing as he DID serve a WADA ban for his role in the 2008 Beijing rowers doping scandal. That could be quite problematic for Petrosian as she has been coached by Team Eteri for several years.

The ISU/IOC are going to have to tread a very careful line here on who is or is not approved because you can be certain that FS fans will provide receipts and hold them accountable. There's no amount of "they won't be allowed to participate in press conferences or go through the mixed zone" that is going to shield the ISU themselves from massive backlash if they let anyone in who is obviously supporting Putin and his war.

Here is the thing. Channel One is a pro war rally almost 24/7. This is known to all. Channel one cup is a competition in a pro war rally environment.

Also There should be no expectation yet whatsoever that any Russians will be eligible. It could be ruled that being at Russian nationals sponsored by known sanctioned companies voids eligibility! That being on Russias main channel supporting the war when it too is under sanction voids eligibility.

People posted such angry Angry comments. Why? There was no reason to believe based on what was written by isu that any skaters active in Russia the past 3 years will be eligible.

Valieva was captain of a team at the channel 1 cup and lots of the big names of Russian skating were on her team. This was after her ban! So two strikes

 

[kwanfan1818]

And I thought I read here that the ISU had to extend the deadline for applying to the Olympic qualifying event, because they didn't have applicants. I didn't realize Beijing was a neutral choice among many applicants.

 

[Karen-W]

Here is the thing. Channel One is a pro war rally almost 24/7. This is known to all. Channel one cup is a competition in a pro war rally environment.

Also There should be no expectation yet whatsoever that any Russians will be eligible. It could be ruled that being at Russian nationals sponsored by known sanctioned companies voids eligibility! That being on Russias main channel supporting the war when it too is under sanction voids eligibility.

People posted such angry Angry comments. Why? There was no reason to believe based on what was written by isu that any skaters active in Russia the past 3 years will be eligible.

I guess we'll have to see just how serious the ISU/IOC is about what constitutes ineligibility per their rather broad yet vague criteria. You may be correct that none of the skaters who have competed in the last 3 years are eligible. I don't know that I agree with that assessment. If that was the case then why bother opening up ANY pathway at all?

Valieva was captain of a team at the channel 1 cup and lots of the big names of Russian skating were on her team. This was after her ban! So two strikes

Was she? You listed team captains for 2023. Her ban was imposed by CAS on Jan 29, 2024, retroactively effective from Dec 25, 2021. I don't see how anyone who participated on her team in 2023 is going to find themselves rejected by the ISU/IOC for AIN status when no one knew the outcome of the CAS tribunal until nearly 11 months later.

And I thought I read here that the ISU had to extend the deadline for applying to the Olympic qualifying event, because they didn't have applicants. I didn't realize Beijing was a neutral choice among many applicants.

No one knows how many federations put in a bid for the OQE.

Here are the relevant comments in the ISU Provisional Allotments thread -

Maybe this has already been discussed somewhere - but the ISU is looking for a member country to host an Olympic Qualifying Event in the fall of 2025. Does this mean that the qualifying event will not be at Nebelhorn this time?

https://www.isu.org/figure-skating/rules/fsk-communications/34239-isu-communication-2665/file

From Minutes of the 58th Ordinary Congress Phuket 2022 (p. 133)

Proposal No. 11. made by the ISU Council​

Rule 100 paragraph 3.b) to make the Figure Skating Olympic Qualifying Competition an ISU Event.​

​

Fredi Schmid expressed the gratitude of the ISU to the Deutsche Eislauf-Union for organizing the Figure Skating Olympic Qualifying Competition over many years and for managing the organizational and financial challenges created by combining the Qualifying Competition with the regular International Competition. The Council felt it would be simpler and more efficient for the Qualifying Competition to be run as a separate ISU Event.​

​

The proposal was accepted by an obvious show of hands, with 2 votes against and 1 abstention.​

​

https://isu.org/inside-isu/rules-regulations/isu-congresses/32519-minutes-of-the-58th-ordinary-congress-phuket-2022/file

ISU Communication No. 2665 (link now broken) originally was posted in this thread in September:

This is the new link (on the new ISU website) to ISU Communication No. 2665 - Application to host the ISU Figure Skating Olympic Qualifying Competition (August 27, 2024): https://isu-d8g8b4b7ece7aphs.a03.az...pdf/2665_FSK_OWG_Qual_Comp_20251731319276.pdf

Karen-W has updated the 2026 Olympics qualification info thread with this info: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ting-qualification.111830/page-2#post-6703794

There was also a discussion last October in SS - someone shared a X post/thread on the topic of the German fed not wanting to bid for the new OQE. So, we knew the German fed was out and that no one submitted a bid by the original Sept 20, 2024 deadline, so the ISU extended the deadline. Seems like it may not be much of a stretch to think the CFSA were the only ones to step up and submit a bid in the end.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1848008924605141169

 

[caseyedwards]

I guess we'll have to see just how serious the ISU/IOC is about what constitutes ineligibility per their rather broad yet vague criteria. You may be correct that none of the skaters who have competed in the last 3 years are eligible. I don't know that I agree with that assessment. If that was the case then why bother opening up ANY pathway at all?

Was she? You listed team captains for 2023. Her ban was imposed by CAS on Jan 29, 2024, retroactively effective from Dec 25, 2021. I don't see how anyone who participated on her team in 2023 is going to find themselves rejected by the ISU/IOC for AIN status when no one knew the outcome of the CAS tribunal until nearly 11 months later.

No one knows how many federations put in a bid for the OQE.

Here are the relevant comments in the ISU Provisional Allotments thread -






There was also a discussion last October in SS - someone shared a X post/thread on the topic of the German fed not wanting to bid for the new OQE. So, we knew the German fed was out and that no one submitted a bid by the original Sept 20, 2024 deadline, so the ISU extended the deadline. Seems like it may not be much of a stretch to think the CFSA were the only ones to step up and submit a bid in the end.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1848008924605141169

The isu did this to show how because of Putin all the skaters in Russia now are ineligible for the biggest most prestigious competitions in the world. Compete in war corrupted Russian nationals? Out. Compete in war corrupted entertainment show? Out. That they can never compete unless they leave Russia or Russia gets a new leader with new policies.

If it matters about the official backdating they all still knew she failed a test