Скачать или смотреть Russian ski mountaineer prepares for Milan Cortina Olympics where he'll compete under neutral flag

(9 Jan 2026)
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++PLEASE NOTE: AP IS OPERATING IN RUSSIA ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN RESTRICTIONS ON ALL REPORTING RELATED TO THE ONGOING MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE++

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Terskol, Russia - 29 October 2025
1. Russian ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov walking uphill at Elbrus ski resort
2. Various of Filippov preparing ski equipment
3. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nikita Filippov, Russian ski mountaineer: ++OVERLAID BY SHOTS 1-2++
"It was, of course, an honor for me to be the first to qualify for the Olympic Games. I have a rough idea of ​​what it will be like: lots of athletes, lots of like-minded people from different countries."
4. Wide of Filippov training in gym
5. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nikita Filippov, Russian ski mountaineer:
"I want to prove to everyone that we're strong even without a flag and anthem, and that we can beat everyone.""
6. Various of Filippov training
7. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nikita Filippov, Russian ski mountaineer: ++PARTLY OVERLAID BY SHOTS 6++
"I think everyone already knows where we're from. And maybe it will even attract more attention, since everyone already knows who the athlete is, even without the flag, I think."
8. Various of cable cars, mountain
STORYLINE:
Every time Nikita Filippov races, it's an uphill struggle. At the Olympics, even more so.

The 23-year-old from Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka peninsula is a medal contender in the rugged new Olympic sport of ski mountaineering — sprinting up a slope and then skiing back down.

At the Milan Cortina Olympics, he'll be one of few Russians competing as "Individual Neutral Athletes."

That means they formally aren't representing their country. They cannot wear any Russian symbols and won't hear the Russian national anthem if they win a gold medal.

"I think everyone knows where we're from and maybe it even attracts more attention," Filippov told The Associated Press at a training camp in the Caucasus mountains.

Many sports barred Russian athletes from competing as part of the diplomatic fallout after Russian troops moved into Ukraine shortly after the last Winter Olympics in 2022.

Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the International Olympic Committee gradually opened up paths for athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus to qualify with neutral status.

Fifteen Russians competed as neutral athletes in Paris, winning their only medal in tennis.

The number could be even lower in Milan Cortina. Like in Paris, they won’t be able to participate as a delegation in the opening ceremony.

The amount of Russian athletes who will join Filippov at the games remains unclear.

In December, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev told broadcaster Match TV that he expected a maximum of 15 or 20 athletes would qualify, but only three Russians and one Belarusian have so far received and accepted invitations.

The IOC and its new president Kirsty Coventry, favor allowing Russians to compete as neutrals in most events, though not team sports like hockey, meaning Alexander Ovechkin and other Russian NHL stars won't play in Milan.

Athletes are ineligible for neutral status from the IOC if they are under contract with Russian or Belarusian security agencies or the military, or if they have expressed support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have disputed whether some of those Russians competing in Olympic qualifiers truly meet the neutral restrictions.

Most winter sports bodies have allowed Russians to compete in Olympic qualifiers in recent weeks, amid a series of legal defeats for policies banning Russian athletes.





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