For nearly four years since the last Winter Olympics, the starting gates felt impossibly far away for Russian skiers. Every new season opened without them, and every World Cup race passed by with empty lanes where familiar names once stood. And their careers did not end with an injury or a slow decline; they were paused by the ban on Russian participation that followed the Russo-Ukrainian War of 2022.

But this week, that long wait has ended for some. Three Russian skiers have been cleared to re-enter international competition, giving them a narrow but real chance to qualify for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics on February 6th.

But they will not represent Russia. The ban hasn’t been fully lifted; rather, Russian athletes who meet the IOC’s standard for neutrality can compete as individual neutral athletes should they make it through the Olympic qualifier at Davos, Switzerland. Which means no Russian colors and no Russian national anthem if they win.

So, who are these lucky skiers who get a chance to compete on the Olympic stage once again?

Anastasia Tatalina

If you watch freestyle skiing, you’ve probably heard of Anastasia Tatalina. She’s 25 and absolutely fearless in the air. She first hit the big stage at the 2017 World Championships and even competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics. But her big break came at the 2021 World Championships in Aspen when she landed two massive jumps, each worth over 90 points, taking the title in the women’s ski big air.

She nearly made the Olympic podium in Beijing 2022, with a fourth-place finish in the freeski slopestyle, and in 2024 she took the silver at the X Games in Aspen. She also competed at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

Savelii Korostelev

The 22-year-old cross-country skier, Savelii Korostelev, has twice been crowned the World Junior Champion and has already won a lot at the Russian Cup. His family is pretty much ski royal­ty: his mother is an Olympic bronze medalist, his father and uncle were elite athletes, and even his grandparents coached cross-country skiing.

Korostelev is living up to that legacy, having won multiple national sprint and relay titles in 2024 and 2025.

Dariya Nepryaeva

And then there is Dariya Nepryaeva, 23, who can compete in any race. Sprint, 5 km, relay, skiathlon—you name it, she has competed and won. In 2022, she won the U20 women’s 5 km classic at the Junior World Championships.

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Since then, she’s claimed 5 km and 20 km titles at the Russian Cup and even secured a team sprint national crown in 2025. Nepryaeva can be a team leader or a solo skier who shines alone.

So, why have only these athletes been allowed back while others are still out?

It comes down to the rules for competing as a neutral athlete in the Winter Olympics:

• Athletes must not have publicly supported Russia’s war in Ukraine.
• They cannot have connections to the military or state security agencies.
• Their home country cannot appear anywhere at the venue or in media coverage; they compete truly on their own.
• Athletes are required to apply for neutral status, which is scrutinized and approved by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

Only those who fulfill these stringent requirements, such as Nepryaeva, Korostelev, and Tatalina, are permitted to return. Russian athletes are not permitted to compete under their national flag, as the FIS had already stated in October.