Russian leaders were furious, and athletes dismayed when the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) decided in October to uphold the suspension of athletes from Russia and Belarus — now entering its fourth year. They immediately announced that they would “use all available means” to overturn the decision.

Also Read: FIS says no to Russia

Mikhail Degtyarev, Russia’s Minister of Sports and head of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), confirmed that the appeal has now been submitted to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“The Ministry of Sports, the Russian Olympic Committee, and the relevant federations are working together to defend the rights of our athletes,” he said.

Refers to precedent

Russia’s argument is based on a recent ruling in luge and bobsleigh, where CAS found similar suspensions to be discriminatory.

“We believe the suspension of Russian athletes is completely unacceptable and contrary to the spirit and principles of the Olympic Charter,” said Degtyarev.

“We will continue to work hard to ensure justice prevails and that equal participation conditions are respected in court,” he added, according to Match TV.

The Russians strongly reacted to FIS’s decision to extend the suspension, despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowing athletes from these nations to compete in the upcoming Winter Olympics under a neutral flag and the same strict criteria used at the 2024 Paris Games.

Read More: Russians furious after FIS decision: “We will use all available means”

If the ruling is overturned, Russian and Belarusian athletes who meet those criteria could also compete in the World Cup, thereby qualifying them for the Olympics.

Norwegian lawyer believes Russia may win

Norwegian sports lawyer Pål Kleven believes the Russians could succeed with such an appeal against FIS. He is one of Norway’s most experienced legal experts in sports matters.

Read More: FIS could be forced to lift Russian ban

The background is that Russia has already won two similar cases:

In October, the suspension of Russian table tennis players was overturned. CAS ruled that the ban violated the principles of political neutrality and non-discrimination enshrined both in the Olympic Charter and the European federation’s constitution. The International Table Tennis Federation was forced to reverse its decision and must now allow Russian athletes to compete if they meet the IOC’s criteria.

In bobsleigh and skeleton, the suspension has been partially lifted — it now applies only to athletes who do not meet the IOC’s requirements for neutral participation.

These decisions have given the Russians renewed hope of competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“We hope that the ruling concerning our bobsleigh and skeleton athletes will set a precedent for all other international federations that have suspended Russian athletes from global competitions,” Sports Minister Degtyarev recently wrote on his Telegram channel.

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