ISU Revokes Kamila Valieva’s Neutral Status, Barring Her from International Figure Skating Competitions

ISU Withdraws Kamila Valieva’s Neutral Athlete Designation

According to Рубрика: The International Skating Union (ISU) has officially removed the neutral athlete status of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, effectively preventing her from competing in international events. Valieva was previously handed a four-year ban due to violations of anti-doping regulations. This decision comes amid the controversial reinstatement of Russian athletes to global competitions following the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) and several international federations’ lifting of restrictions. The return of Russian competitors has sparked criticism from various European nations.

Kamila Valieva, who received notification of the cancellation of her individual neutral athlete status, resumed figure skating in February 2026 by participating in the Russian national jumping championships. Despite this, she remains ineligible for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian athletes have been barred from competing under their national flag.

Guidelines for Russian Athletes’ Participation

To allow Russian athletes to compete internationally as neutral individuals, the ISU established a strict vetting process verifying athletes’ backgrounds. Without this neutral status, they are barred from ISU-sanctioned events, world ranking points, and championship titles. The revocation of Valieva’s status followed a formal appeal from the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation addressed to the ISU’s president, council, and national federation members.

In January 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport imposed a four-year suspension on Valieva for anti-doping violations. Later that month, the ISU stripped her of the 2022 Olympic gold medal and annulled her competition results. In early October 2024, the Swiss Federal Tribunal rejected her appeal against the CAS ruling, upholding the lengthy ban.

July 2026 saw the IOC reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee’s page on its official website for the first time since membership suspension in 2023. On July 7, 2026, the IOC Executive Board temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and paused recommendations limiting Russian athletes’ participation. The IOC no longer enforces its 2022 and 2023 restrictions on Russian teams and athletes but continues to exclude Russia as a host nation and does not invite Russian government officials to its events.

This shift has drawn rebuke from nine European countries, including Estonia, who have called on the European Union to withdraw funding from the IOC. Meanwhile, on July 8, 2026, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) permitted Russian athletes and officials to return to international competitions, and the International Fencing Federation lifted its bans on Russian fencers.

The removal of Kamila Valieva’s neutral status highlights the ongoing tensions between international sports bodies and Russian athletes in the context of geopolitical conflict.

This development also reflects mounting pressure from the Ukrainian figure skating community and European nations advocating for strict adherence to anti-doping policies and ethical standards in sport. The reintegration of Russian athletes into global competitions remains a highly contentious topic, fueling debates over fairness and safety in the international sports arena.