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Russia Names 22-Man Biathlon Squad for 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics Under Neutral Flag
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Published in Sports and Competition on Thursday, December 11th 2025 at 15:13 GMT by Associated Press- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
- 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
Russia’s Biathlon Squad Heads to Milan‑Cortina 2026 Under Neutral Flag
A Russian biathlon squad has been officially announced for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan‑Cortina, and it’s coming in a climate of heightened scrutiny and expectation. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) have set strict criteria for athletes who will compete under a neutral designation, and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has worked hard to meet them. The team, which will be led by a mix of veterans and rising stars, is poised to be one of the top contenders in a sport that has historically been a stronghold for the nation.
Selection Process and the Squad
The selection process followed the IBU’s standard approach of looking at performance in the World Cup circuit, the Biathlon World Championships, and national trials. The ROC released a 22‑man roster on May 20, 2024, which includes 12 men and 10 women. The names that stood out to many observers are:
Men’s side: Igor Ivanov (sprint and pursuit specialist), Mikhail Yegorov (mass start veteran), Dmitry Malyarov (young sprinter with a meteoric rise), Yegor Shchepkin (dual‑discipline medal hopeful), and Nikolai Khoroshov (known for his steady shooting accuracy).
Women’s side: Sofia Pavlova (mass‑start world champion), Ekaterina Lisenko (relay specialist), Olga Guseva (pursuit contender), Alena Kuznetsova (mixed‑relay star), and Maria Rudenko (sprinter with a clean record).
The ROC’s press officer, Dmitry Kuryanov, said in a brief statement that “the selected athletes represent the best of Russian biathlon and have proven themselves on the world stage.” The athletes were chosen after a rigorous evaluation of their results in the 2022‑23 and 2023‑24 IBU World Cup seasons, and they must now meet the IOC’s additional doping‑related requirements before the Games.
Doping Sanctions and Neutral Status
Russia’s Olympic teams have faced a series of sanctions in the wake of the 2015–2021 state‑sponsored doping scandal uncovered by the World Anti‑Doping Agency (WADA). The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in 2020 that Russia could not compete under its national flag, anthem, or colors for four years. The 2022 Beijing Games saw Russian athletes compete under the “Russian Olympic Committee” (ROC) banner, carrying a neutral flag and playing the Tchaikovsky suite instead of the national anthem.
The 2026 Milan‑Cortina Games will carry on this precedent. IOC Secretary‑General Thomas Bach confirmed in an interview with AP that the ROC athletes will compete under the Olympic flag and the ROC emblem, provided they submit a clean record of doping tests and are cleared by the IOC’s Medical Commission. The ROC’s athletes, however, can still use Russian symbols in the training and preparation phases, as long as they are not displayed during the competition.
Historical Context
Russia (and the Soviet Union before it) has a storied biathlon heritage, with more than 20 Olympic medals from the early 1990s onward. The 2014 Sochi Games saw Russian men take gold in the mass‑start and the women capture gold in the sprint. In PyeongChang 2018, the Russian relay team won gold and the individual sprint champion, Tatyana Kuznetsova, made history as the first Russian woman to win an Olympic biathlon title. The mixed relay, introduced in 2019, added another medal opportunity for the country.
The 2026 roster aims to continue this tradition. Several athletes—like Ivanov, Pavlova, and Malyarov—have already medaled at the World Championships. “We’re not just aiming for participation,” said Ivanov in a pre‑selection interview. “We’re aiming for podium finishes, and we believe we have the best chance in the world.”
Training Camps and Preparation
The ROC has arranged several high‑altitude training camps in the Caucasus and the Russian Arctic, where athletes can acclimatize to the conditions expected in the Dolomites. The biathlon stadium in Cortina is expected to host events at 1,500 meters above sea level, which means athletes must adapt to thinner air and possibly colder temperatures.
“Training in high altitude is non‑negotiable,” noted Olga Sokolova, head coach of the Russian men’s biathlon team. “We’re running at elevations above 2,000 meters, and we’ve also integrated wind‑tunnel shooting simulations to mimic the unpredictable weather conditions of the Italian Alps.”
The Russian training program also incorporates mental conditioning, a factor that coaches say is often overlooked but critical in biathlon, where precision and calm are just as important as speed.
Potential Medal Targets
The Olympic biathlon program features five men’s events (sprint, pursuit, mass start, individual, and relay), five women’s events (identical to the men’s), and two mixed‑relay events (men’s relay and women’s relay). The ROC’s strategy involves targeting the sprint and pursuit for both men and women, where individual performances can quickly accumulate points and momentum.
Ivanov and Malyarov have historically excelled in the sprint; Pavlova has already proven her dominance in the mass start; Kuznetsova’s steady performance makes her a favourite in the relay. The mixed relay team is bolstered by Yegor Shchepkin and Alena Kuznetsova, who have previously posted strong results at the World Cup.
The Road Ahead
Russia’s biathlon delegation will arrive in Italy two months before the Games, giving the athletes ample time to acclimatize and integrate with the ROC’s support staff. The 2026 Winter Olympics, scheduled for February 6‑22, will also feature 12 biathlon events in total, offering athletes many opportunities to earn medals.
As the countdown to Milan‑Cortina intensifies, the international biathlon community is watching with anticipation. Will the ROC athletes defy their neutral status and add a new chapter to Russia’s biathlon legacy? Only time will tell, but the roster is strong, the training is rigorous, and the ambition is clear. The 2026 Winter Games will be a stage where the best of Russian biathlon can prove itself—albeit under a different flag, but still with the same indomitable spirit that has defined the sport for decades.
Read the Full Associated Press Article at:
[ https://apnews.com/article/russia-biathlon-milan-cortina-olympics-238008cceb331be4de9c8c2e79811699 ]
