MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has granted Russia’s appeal to strike down a previous ruling by the Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) barring Russian national athletes from federation-sponsored international tournaments. The court also upheld an appeal by Russian Paralympians against their ban in tournaments sponsored by FIS and cleared them to compete internationally flying the colors of the national flag and to the tune of the country’s anthem. TASS has summed up the key details of the court’s ruling.
On March 1, 2022, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in federation-sponsored tournaments. The decision followed recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) against the background of the aggravation of Russian-Ukrainian relations. The ban was subsequently extended multiple times.
Among the tournaments missed by Russian athletes during the ban are the 2023 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Slovenia, the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Norway as well as all stages of the FIS World Cups between March 2022 and November 2025.
The FIS Council ruled on October 21 to extend indefinitely the suspension of athletes representing Russia and Belarus from international tournaments, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Last month, Russia filed an appeal with the CAS to throw out the FIS ruling. The appeal was submitted by the Russian Ski Association (RSF) and was later backed by the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) and 12 individual athletes.
