Russian athletes linked to pro-war activity

Image source, BBC SportImage caption, Savelii Korostelev, Kseniia Korzhova and Petr Gumennik are set to compete as neutral athletes at the Milan-Cortina GamesByTom GrundyBBC Sport senior journalistSeveral 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, external from Russia to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) in Milan-Cortina.Their eligibility was assessed by a three-person IOC panel, external, 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, external 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.The IOC said it could not comment on individual cases but that the panel had "reviewed the athletes in accordance with the executive board decision and the principles it had established".BBC Sport has verified the following evidence relating to four individuals cleared to compete as neutrals:Petr Gumennik (figure skating) – Gumennik has recently worked with and been coached by Ilya Averbukh, who has been sanctioned by Ukraine, external. Averbukh has held the role of 'Crimea's ambassador for sport', taken part in events in numerous occupied territories and staged performances for families of Russian soldiers.Image source, Channel OneImage caption, Ilya Averbukh (right) has choreographed competition dances for Petr Gumennik (left) in the past yearSavelii Korostelev (cross-country skiing) – Korostelev liked pro-Putin and pro-military content posted on Instagram by fellow skier Veronika Stepanova. He was also described as a "private" and an "army skier" in a 2023 article published by his club, CSKA, which is affiliated with the Russian armed forces. Kseniia Korzhova (speed skating) – Korzhova liked pro-war content on Instagram from gymnast Nikita Nagorny, who has been sanctioned by the UK, external and European Union, external for his prominent role with the Russian army.Dariya Nepryaeva (cross-country skiing) – Nepryaeva attended a ski team training camp in Crimea in 2022, months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 and is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine. The camp was filmed and broadcast by a state-backed television channel.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".Separate reporting, external has suggested that Korostelev may have been completing compulsory military service, rather than voluntarily joining the army.Image source, Match TVImage caption, Dariya Nepryaeva was interviewed by state-backed sports channel Match TV during a national team training camp in Crimea in May 2022The 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, external.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"."Mr Nagorny has not been allowed to participate in World Gymnastics competitions since the beginning of the conflict," it added.Image source, BBC SportImage caption, Morinari Watanabe (left) was filmed hugging sanctioned Russian gymnast Nikita Nagorny (far right) on a recent visit to MoscowDuring 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.World Gymnastics said decisions regarding its Individual Neutral Athlete status are made "by an independent ad hoc committee, following background checks conducted by an external company".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. Some bodies, including the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), attempted to exclude neutrals altogether but that position was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December, a ruling that came too late for many athletes to qualify.Speed SkatingWinter SportsCross-Country SkiingWinter OlympicsFigure Skating