Russia won’t compete under its flag at the 2026 Winter Olympics—but some Russian athletes will still be there. Here’s how the IOC’s rules actually work.

At the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, that superpower rivalry was on full display on the ice. The U.S. men’s ice hockey team — made up largely of college players and amateurs — faced off against the Soviet squad, a battle-hardened, gold medal-winning machine. The Americans weren’t supposed to stand a chance.

Sports federations who claim sport is separate from politics should not include armed conflicts in that definition because "war is a crime, not politics", Ukraine's Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi

A Russian ice hockey coach blamed “petty bisexuals like the French, Germans, English, and the Balts” for Russia’s exclusion from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Russia has been banned from the games since 2022, when the International Olympic ...

Russia is suspended from international competition due to the war in Ukraine, sidelining many who'd otherwise be playing.