{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreicrtzhot3zyavd2drxv474vovw6sn43o7bf6u2rco35hewanalwee",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:5x2rh5kufnec5fzljivhzoyl/app.bsky.feed.post/3me7wu7y6dke2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreia76m5xapztkqexatt6bicptzk6psrjazdpxftvfzpgdjod4wofxa"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 70957
  },
  "path": "/news/analysis/is-the-tide-turning-on-russias-sports-exile",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-06T16:44:51.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gzeromedia.com",
  "tags": [
    "Winter olympics",
    "Russia",
    "Italy",
    "Doping",
    "Russia-ukraine war",
    "Ukraine",
    "Sports and politics",
    "Olympics",
    "_linked_",
    "_told_",
    "_said_",
    "_called_",
    "_Latin America_",
    "_Middle East_",
    "_more willingness_",
    "_faced_",
    "_found_"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nBrazilian skiers, American ICE agents, Israeli bobsledders – this is just a smattering of the fascinating characters that will be present at this year’s Winter Olympics, which formally kick off today in Northern Italy.\n\nYet it will be the omission of one particular country, one that has traditionally dominated the medals table, that once again garners more attention. That country is Russia.\n\n* * *\n\nFor the fifth Olympics running, Russian athletes will not be able to compete under their flag. This began at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, where they had to compete as “Olympic Athletes from Russia” due to the state-backed doping scandal in prior years. The same scandal forced them to compete as the “Russian Olympic Committee” at the 2020 and 2022 Games. Still, hundreds of Russian athletes were able to compete.\n\nThat’s no longer the case. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means its athletes must now participate as “Individual Neutral Athletes.” They cannot compete as a team – only individuals can attend – and they must not have shown support for the Kremlin’s war effort. Only 13 athletes from Russia will compete at these Games.\n\nAnd yet, the tide appears to be turning.\n\nFirst off, some of the 13 athletes have been _linked_ to activities supporting the war effort. One liked pro-military content on social media, another trained in Russian-occupied Crimea, while a third worked closely with a publicly pro-Kremlin trainer. Yet the International Olympic Committee authorized their entry amid questions about the leanings of one member of their three-person eligibility panel regarding Russia.\n\nFIFA President **Gianni Infantino** , who oversees the separate but more widely watched soccer World Cup, went a step further on Monday, saying that FIFA should also lift its ban on Russia.\n\n“This ban has not achieved anything,” Infantino _told_ Sky News. “It has just created more frustration and hatred.” The Italian’s comments come after the IOC _said_ in December that Russian youth athletes should be able to compete under their national flag and anthem at this year’s Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal.\n\nInfantino’s comments incurred the wrath of Kyiv’s top brass: Ukraine’s foreign minister _called_ the FIFA president a “moral degenerate.”\n\nThe shifts from the IOC and FIFA hint at something else: Is interest in the Russia-Ukraine war, now approaching the four-year mark, going downhill? The amount of online searches regarding the war has plummeted. No longer is the war top of the US foreign policy agenda, as other regions like _Latin America_ and the _Middle East_ fill greater space. Polls even show _more willingness_ among Ukrainians to kowtow to Russian territorial demands if it means ending the war.\n\n**A chequered history.** Russia – and the Soviet Union – have a sordid past when it comes to major sporting tournaments like the Olympics and the World Cup, stretching back decades. It has been involved in several doping scandals. The Soviets even _faced_ accusations of forcing female athletes to get pregnant and then have an abortion, with the aim of boosting red blood cell count. More recently, the US Justice Department _found_ that Russia bribed FIFA officials in order to become the host of the 2018 World Cup.\n\nYet it was only after the most recent doping scandal and international condemnation for the invasion of Ukraine that the IOC and FIFA decided to ban Russian teams.\n\nBoth these organizations appear to be rethinking that decision, possibly because it hurt certain Russian athletes and forced the organizers to take positions on other conflicts, like the Israel-Hamas war and the Sudan civil war. Is this the right move? The Winter Olympics are filled with intrigue of their own – sliding headfirst down a concrete track on what is ostensibly a tea tray (otherwise known as a “skeleton”) is always bound to garner interest. However, this potential U-turn from both the IOC and FIFA provides an unwelcome distraction. Yet again, geopolitics are at play in the sporting world.",
  "title": "Is the tide turning on Russia’s sports exile?"
}