The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Friday in Milan that athletes from Russia and Belarus will be permitted to participate in the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics as neutral individual athletes.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry reiterated during a press conference that the decision aligns with the approach taken for the 2024 Paris Olympics, maintaining the same conditions and requirements.
The IOC stated that neutral individual athletes who qualify through their respective International Federations' qualification processes will be eligible to compete, provided they meet the participation criteria established by the IOC.
According to the IOC's official website, 32 athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport participated in 10 sports during the Paris Olympics. The Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, set to begin on Feb 6 next year, will follow the same regulations applied in Paris.
Russian, Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in 2026 Winter Olympics
The Global Mayors Dialogue opened in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Tuesday, bringing together mayors and senior city officials from across Europe, Asia, and North America to have in-depth exchanges on practical approaches to developing the ice and snow economy.
Held under the theme "Connecting the World with Ice and Snow, Win-Win Cooperation for a Shared Future", the three-day event gathered mayors, deputy mayors, and mayoral representatives from cities across the globe, including Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Türkiye, focusing on the ice and snow economy, cultural integration, smart city development, heritage preservation, and urban governance.
The event featured a main dialogue and a scenario-based dialogue salon to foster in-depth exchanges and spark new ideas. Guests are invited to visit iconic sites such as the Harbin Ice and Snow World and attend the opening ceremony and trade events of the Harbin Ice and Snow Economy Expo, which are showcasing Harbin's achievements in building an ice and snow economy brand, strengthening international exchanges and cooperation, and inheriting ice and snow culture.
Harbin, called China's "ice city", has turned its long, cold winters into a major tourist attraction. Last winter, it welcomed a record 90.36 million visitors, generating 137.22 billion yuan (about 19.44 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue, a year-on-year increase of 16.6 percent.
International mayors gather in Harbin to explore ice and snow economy
