Russian Paralympians cleared for 2026 Winter Games

January 20, 2026

TL;DR

Russian skiers and snowboarders can apply for special invitations to the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games.
The Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) successfully challenged its suspension at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Athletes can apply for bipartite invitations, a mechanism used by the IPC to include athletes who may not have qualified through standard routes.
The RPC plans to submit applications for these invitations by February 13.
Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from most international competitions following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.
The IPC fully reinstated Russian and Belarusian participation last autumn but noted few athletes were likely to qualify due to federation bans.
Moscow accuses Western nations of pressuring federations to ban Russian athletes for political reasons and criticizes the "politicizing" of sports.
Russian para-athletes have continued to achieve success in international competitions despite restrictions.

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