LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Three figure skaters from Russia and Belarus, including an Olympic gold medal candidate, were cleared Thursday by the International Olympic Committee to compete in the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February as neutral skaters.
Among those endorsed is 18-year-old Adelia Petrosyan, who showed medal potential in the women's individual event by winning the Olympic qualifying event in Beijing in September.
Others given neutral status are Petr Gumennik, the Russian singles champion who won the men's event in Beijing two months ago, and Belarusian Victoria Safonova, who finished fourth behind Petrosyan.
The qualifying competition in Beijing marked the first time Russians have been cleared by the International Skating Union to compete in one of its figure skating competitions since the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, just four days after the end of the Beijing Olympics.
The IOC is conducting its own assessment to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to receive neutral status and compete in Milan-Cortina, as they did ahead of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
To be eligible, individual athletes must not actively support the invasion of Ukraine or have ties to Russian or Belarusian military and state security agencies.
Skaters must also accept an individual invitation and sign a pledge to abide by the Olympic Charter, the IOC said.
Petrosyan is the latest skater to work with coach Eteri Tutberidze, who was a controversial figure at the Beijing Olympics.
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