TAMPERE (Finland): Russian luge athletes will not be allowed to qualify for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics even as neutrals, the International Luge Federation (FIL) said after a vote on Wednesday. The 24-7 decision to continue an existing exclusion from FIL competitions was taken at the governing body’s congress in Tampere, Finland. The congress also decided 24-8 in a second vote not to authorise a programme for neutral Russian athletes. “As a result, Russian athletes and their entourage will not be permitted to participate in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games,” FIL said in a statement. FIL president Einars Fogelis, a Latvian, said the congress had made its position clear. “This outcome reflects our collective responsibility to uphold fair and safe competition. We fully respect the diversity of views within our community, especially from our athletes,” he added. The International Olympic Committee said last month that Russian teams, including the powerful national ice hockey side, remained banned from next year’s Games as part of sanctions following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. A small number of individual Russian and Belarusian athletes took part in the Paris 2024 summer Olympics after rigorous vetting by the IOC and as neutrals without national flags or anthems. Four Russian figure skaters in men’s and women’s singles have been approved by the International Skating Union to try to qualify for the 2026 Olympics as neutral athletes. Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2025