The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) publishes reasoned awards in cases involving Russian & Belarusian ski associations v. International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS)

On 2 December 2025, CAS issued two decisions concerning the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and para-athletes in FIS events.

Both CAS Panels found that the FIS Statutes require the FIS to be politically neutral and that the FIS Council did not provide sufficient legal justification for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes and para-athletes. Consequently, a blanket ban on athletes and para-athletes based on nationality was found to be discriminatory and in violation of FIS Statues.

The CAS Panels ruled that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to participate in the FIS events, including the qualification events for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, but only in strict compliance with the International Olympic Committee AIN eligibility criteria.

Concerning para-athletes, it is important to note that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was not a Party in these procedures. The IPC does not have an AIN framework, and the scope of the CAS procedure with the Russian parties was between participation for para-athletes under the same conditions as other para-athletes for FIS events, and no participation. The Panel found that it had no viable alternative but to uphold this request and ruled that the Russian para-athletes should be allowed to participate in the FIS events, including the qualification events for the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, under the same conditions as any other para-athletes.

CAS was not asked to rule whether flags and anthems could be displayed in the sporting arena. This decision, and the question of how athletes under all federations participate in the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 remains solely with the IPC. In September 2025, the IPC General Assembly voted “not to maintain the partial suspension of the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) of Belarus and Russia, reinstating both NPCs’ full membership rights and privileges.”

The full CAS awards with grounds are now available here on the CAS website.