Luge federation keeps neutral route for Russian athletes for 2026-27 season

Russian luge athletes will be able to compete as individual neutral athletes (AIN) again in the 2026-27 season after an extraordinary congress of the International Luge Federation (FIL) voted by a clear majority on Thursday, 12 November, to keep the process in place, the federation said. The congress was held in Berchtesgaden, Germany, in a hybrid format, with some delegates joining remotely. Exact vote numbers were not published.

The rules

Russian athletes may compete only as individuals and under neutral status, and they are not allowed in team events. The same applies to youth and junior athletes, who may race at FIL events as AIN but not in team disciplines. The FIL said the decision follows rulings by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) made before the 2026 Winter Olympics. The congress also adopted the FIL Anti-Doping Code 2027, which takes effect on 1 January.

Russian lugers were suspended after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In October 2025 the CAS partly upheld a challenge by the Russian federation, ruling that a full ban was disproportionate, and two Russian athletes competed as neutrals at the Milano Cortina Olympics.

What it means for Sigulda

Russian lugers will not race at the World Cup in Sigulda on 9-10 January. Latvia’s sports law does not allow Russian athletes to compete in the country even as neutrals, and most of the Russian team were put on Latvia’s list of unwanted persons last year and cannot enter the country. Before the congress the Latvian Luge Federation said it would vote against neutral status, but its president, Klāvs Vasks, admitted Latvia’s vote might not be decisive.

The World Cup season starts in Winterberg, Germany, on 28 November, so Latvian lugers may still meet neutral Russian athletes on the track at other events.