Russian athletes linked to pro-war activity

Several Russian athletes approved to compete as neutrals at the Winter Olympics have links to activity supporting the war in Ukraine, according to evidence seen by BBC Sport.

The International Olympic Committee has cleared 13 competitors from Russia to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) in Milan-Cortina.

Their eligibility was assessed by a three-person IOC panel, with athletes deemed ineligible if they were found to have actively supported the war, including through social media activity or participation in pro-war events.

However, material shared with the BBC by the Molfar Intelligence Institute and investigative journalist Artem Khudolieiev raises questions over whether some of those approved meet the IOC’s broadly-framed criteria.

Meanwhile, one member of the panel – Morinari Watanabe – was filmed embracing a Russian gymnast sanctioned for his involvement with Russia’s war effort during a visit to Moscow in March, prompting further questions about the vetting process.

Ukraine’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremony believes the IOC should review its neutral eligibility framework.

“Getting ready for competition in occupied territories, or supporting the war on social media, it is definitely not right to call them neutral because they’re not,” said skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych.

BBC Sport has verified the following evidence relating to four individuals cleared to compete as neutrals:

Ukraine’s Olympic Committee has written to the IOC to raise concerns about Gumennik and Korzhova.

None of the athletes named responded to BBC Sport’s requests for comment.

Russia’s Sports Minister, Mikhail Degtyarev, has previously said that “athletes are not responsible for relations between countries or for governmental decisions and according to the Olympic Charter they should have the right to compete”.

The final decision on whether the four athletes could compete in Milan-Cortina was taken by the IOC’s Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel.

Watanabe sits on the panel as the representative of international sports federations, by virtue of his role as president of World Gymnastics. He was also a candidate in last year’s IOC presidential election.

In March 2025, Watanabe was filmed embracing Nagorny during a visit to Moscow.

Nagorny, an Olympic gold medallist at the Tokyo Games, has been a prominent supporter of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

He served as head of Yunarmiya, Russia’s youth military organisation, between 2020 and 2024 and has been sanctioned by the UK, European Union and United States.

The UK sanctions notice accuses Nagorny of involvement in the forced deportation and re-education of Ukrainian children.

“It’s crazy,” said Heraskevych, who held up a ‘No War’ sign at the Beijing Games.

“He’s still hugging this person and still friendly with him. And then he decides whether these Russians are guilty or not guilty, whether they are engaged in the war or not.”

World Gymnastics, responding on behalf of Watanabe, said it would not comment on the IOC panel or its decisions.

It said Watanabe’s visit to Russia “took place a few days after he visited Ukraine” and that its purpose “was to show support to athletes affected by the war, on both sides”.

During Watanabe’s tenure as head of World Gymnastics, Russian athletes have also been allowed to return to international competition under neutral status in his sport.

That includes Angelina Melnikova, who was controversially cleared to compete last year despite previously posing with the pro-war ‘Z’ symbol and standing in local elections for Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began just four days after the end of the last Winter Olympics in Beijing.

At those Games, 209 Russians competed under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) because of sanctions linked to a state-sponsored doping scandal. They finished second in the medal table, winning 32 medals including five gold.

Since the invasion, athletes holding Russian or Belarusian passports have been barred from many international sports competitions.

But the IOC has created a pathway for individuals to compete as neutrals, provided they meet strict criteria.

That framework was first applied at Paris 2024, where 32 competitors from Russia and Belarus took part as AINs.

To be eligible, they had to show they had not actively supported the war and were not contracted to the military. They competed without national flags or anthems.

The same conditions apply in Milan-Cortina. Thirteen Russians and seven Belarusians have been approved across eight sports. Team events such as ice hockey and curling remain off limits.

The IOC says every neutral competitor must also be cleared by their international federation.