Shortly before the start of the Four Hills Tournament, the World Ski Federation FIS gave two Russian ski jumpers the opportunity to return to the World Cup. The duo wants to be at the start of the tour this weekend.
The World Ski Federation FIS has granted neutral status to nine more athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus. For the first time, two ski jumpers are among the current 38 Russians and Belarusians. As can be seen from a list published on Monday (December 22, 2025), 22-year-old Danil Sadrejew and 31-year-old Mikhail Nazarov, among others, can return to competition.
Sadreev won Olympic silver in 2022
The two Russians could already take off from the ski jump at the Four Hills Tournament starting on Sunday (December 28th, 2025, 4 p.m. on ARD and in the live stream at sportschau.de) in Oberstdorf. At least that’s what the Russian Ski Association (RSA) wants to achieve. Sadreev was part of the Russian team that won silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. His best individual placement was eighth place in jumping on the normal hill at the 2022 Olympics. In the World Cup he jumped twice in the individual to twelfth place. Nasarow has never made it into the World Cup top 10 in individual competitions, but was able to record several top 20 placements.
Russian cross-country skiers are already back in the World Cup
The people now approved by the FIS now include a Belarusian cross-country skiing supervisor and six Russian cross-country skiing and alpine skiing supervisors. Prominent athletes were given access to World Cups at the beginning of the month. According to a decision by the International Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), the FIS had to allow the Belarusian freestyle Olympic champion from 2018, Hanna Huskowa, the Russian top cross-country skier Saveliy Korostelev and the Russian cross-country skiing hope Dariya Neprayaeva to start in the World Cup.
The 22-year-old Korostelev and the 23-year-old Nepryaeva were already at the start of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup in Davos in mid-December. Huskowa took part in an Aerials World Cup in China last weekend.
Belarusian Hanna Huskova in action.
CAS overturned the FIS exclusion at the beginning of December
The World Ski Federation FIS banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from all competitions after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022 and renewed this ban in October of this year. At the beginning of December, the International Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) overturned the starting ban and partially upheld two lawsuits from Russia and Belarus against the World Ski and Snowboard Federation FIS. Accordingly, Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to take part in FIS qualifying competitions for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo under neutral status (AIN), provided they meet the criteria of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).