(Adds details, quotes, background) Oct 21 (Reuters) – Russian and Belarusian skiers and snowboarders will not be allowed to compete in next year's Winter Olympics, even as neutral athletes, after the sport's governing body voted on Tuesday not to allow them into qualification events. The International Olympic Committee had previously said it would allow Russians and Belarusians to take part in the February 6-22 Games in Italy but that the final decision would rest with individual sports federations. "The FIS Council … voted not to facilitate the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in FIS qualification events for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games," the FIS said in a statement. "The International Olympic Committee’s AIN regime has been set out as a possible pathway for athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the Olympic Games, with each International Federation remaining responsible for the decision on whether to allow these athletes to take part in its existing qualification system." The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in October 2023 for recognising regional Olympic councils for the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russian and Belarusian skiers will also be unable to compete in next year's Paralympics. The International Paralympic Committee had in September lifted its ban on athletes from the two countries, clearing the way for them to compete in Milano-Cortina under their own flag. (Reporting by Mitch Phillips, Tommy Lund and Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond)
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