In December, the IOC Executive Board recommended allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in youth events with national symbols, including the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics. However, the Russian Olympic Committee remains suspended, so participation under the national flag is still uncertain. For the senior Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, scheduled for February 6-22, 2026, fewer than 20 Russian athletes have been admitted, and only as neutrals.
Those who qualified include figure skaters Petr Gumennik and Adeliya Petrosyan, cross-country skiers Savely Korostelev and Darya Nepryayeva, speed skaters Ksenia Korzhova and Anastasia Semenova, and ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov. The ice hockey team, curlers and biathletes were not admitted. Ilya Averbukh called the easing humiliating, saying it made him uncomfortable to celebrate such a limited opening.
The year’s most prominent event was Alexander Ovechkin’s NHL record. In early April in the United States, he scored his 895th goal and surpassed Wayne Gretzky. The NHL and Washington turned the chase into a major commercial project, while Russian state media framed the achievement as a political symbol.
In Russian hockey, another major development was Roman Rotenberg’s dismissal from SKA after the failed 2024/25 season. In football, the Russian national team continued to play only friendlies. Valery Karpin’s side came into the November 15 match against Chile on a 23-game unbeaten run, but lost 2:0 in Sochi. Before the 1:1 draw with Nigeria on June 6, Russia had also gone two years without conceding.
A return to official competitions remained under discussion with FIFA and UEFA throughout the year. Against that backdrop, one of the main successes was Matvey Safonov’s season at PSG: the Russian goalkeeper won the Champions League, the French league and cup, and in December helped the club claim the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Sports minister and ROC head Mikhail Degtyarev stood out both for controversial remarks and for efforts to restore the committee’s status. In autumn, his sharp comments about Sergei Semak and Valery Karpin caused a scandal, and in December he said he expected the ROC’s rights to be restored by March 2026.