The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has published a list of Russian and Belarusian skiers granted access to international competitions under "neutral" status, according to the federation's press service.
Six Belarusian and three Russian athletes received clearance. Among the Belarusians, "neutral" status was granted to freestylers Anastasia Andriyanova, Anna Deryugo, Igor Drobyankоv, Anna Guskova, and Vladislav Voznyuk, as well as alpine skier Maria Shkanova.
The Russian contingent includes freestyler Anastasia Tatalina and cross-country skiers Saveliy Korostelov and Darya Nepryaeva.
Korostelov is a two-time junior world champion from 2022, with victories on 23 and 25 February of that year. Days later, FIS decided to suspend Russian skiers from international competitions.
Nepryaeva is the younger sister of Natalia Nepryaeva, who won the overall World Cup standings in 2022. After the Russian suspension, the elder Nepryaeva married Russian men's team sprinter Alexander Terentyev and changed her surname.
FIS stated this is only the first list of admitted "neutral" athletes, suggesting more names will likely be added.
The cross-country World Cup stage in Davos, Switzerland (December 12-14) is the final opportunity to secure Olympic qualification in that discipline, while most other skiing sports allow quota places to be earned through the end of January.
On 21 October, FIS extended the suspension of Russian and Belarusian skiers for the entire 2025/26 season but lost an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which forced FIS to launch a procedure for admitting "neutral" athletes.
