The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Kirsty Coventry, announced that the decision to exclude Russia from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina is final.

This stated that, regardless of any potential peace agreements between Russia and Ukraine, the exclusion remains in effect. Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to participate in competitions under a neutral flag, without having the national flag or anthem. This measure has already been applied at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The exclusion comes as a result of the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.