The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) updated its list of "neutral athletes" cleared to compete in its events on Friday, and the change is set to shape the upcoming World Championships in Falun, according to Dagens Nyheter columnist Johan Esk. In his analysis, Esk argues that the gradual reopening of international skiing to Russian competitors reflects a broader softening of the firm stance the sporting world took against Russia when the war in Ukraine began.
Esk's central claim is that the killing in Russia's war has become normalized, and that sport is mirroring that shift. He describes the growing acceptance of Russian athletes on the international circuit as both sad and characteristic of the moment.
Why it matters
Esk frames sport as a reflection of the wider world. He notes that the hard line against Russia and the strong support for Ukraine seen at the start of the war have loosened, even though the fighting has not stopped. In his view, the reopening of competition to Russian athletes is a visible symptom of that change, and Falun will be where it becomes most apparent.
The column also points to a live political dispute. Sweden has said it wants to keep "neutral" Russian skiers out of the World Championships, a move Esk describes as feeling futile but not without precedent. He reports that the Swedish Ski Association is trying to work around FIS's democratic decisions, with the hope that the transitional government can establish that the Russian "neutral" athletes represent a security threat.
Who is now cleared to compete
Among the names on the updated FIS list is Natalja Terentjeva, who Esk notes previously went by the surname Neprjajeva and was part of the Russian team that won the Olympic relay in 2022. He points out that athletes cleared earlier and labeled "neutral" were not of the same caliber and were not part of the world elite when Vladimir Putin launched the war shortly after those Games.
Esk acknowledges that Terentjeva has not been as openly supportive of Putin as skiers such as Veronika Stepanova or Aleksandr Bolsjunov, who remain suspended. Even so, he writes that describing any Russian skier as neutral is bizarre.
He also singles out Savelij Korosteljov, a rising star who told Swedish broadcaster SVT that it is unfortunate when sport and politics are mixed. Esk responds sharply, writing that the remark reveals a lack of historical awareness, and arguing that in both the Soviet Union and Russia, sport has always functioned as an extension of the state regime. According to Esk, Korosteljov's comment came in response to Sweden's push to bar "neutral" Russian skiers from the World Championships.
Comparisons and precedents
Esk says that whenever he writes about Russian athletes, readers email to argue that competitors from other countries, including the United States and Israel, should also be excluded from international events. He says he understands the point but believes other comparisons are more apt for the Russian case.
He draws a parallel with Sweden's sporting contacts with Nazi Germany during the Second World War, writing that opening the door to Russian athletes is equally wrong. He adds, almost as an aside, that such competition did in fact take place, and that this dark chapter in Swedish sports history lasted until 1943.
The column also cites a recent example of a host nation pushing back. When Slovenia staged the European Table Tennis Championships earlier this month, Esk reports, the country did what it could to close doors that the European Table Tennis Union had opened. Slovenia declined to issue visas to Russian players; the Russians who did take part play their club table tennis in the French or Italian leagues and were able to enter Slovenia by that route.
The wider Nordic debate is reflected in the coverage surrounding Esk's column. Aftonbladet reported Norwegian criticism of Sweden's decision on Russia, Västerbottens-Kuriren reported on efforts to keep Russian skiers away from Holmenkollen, and Svenska Dagbladet's Anders Lindblad described the initiative as praiseworthy but difficult to carry out.
What to watch next is whether Sweden's effort to have the Russian "neutral" athletes declared a security threat gains traction with the transitional government before competition in Falun begins.
