Russian athletes again won't be welcome at the Arctic Winter Games

CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 4:26 PM EST | Last Updated: November 6

Russian athletes volition again beryllium near retired of the Arctic Winter Games this winter.

The event's planetary committee said connected Wednesday that it was "reaffirming" Team Yamal's suspension from the games.

The squad was archetypal suspended successful aboriginal 2022 pursuing Russia's penetration of Ukraine. In a connection astatine the time, the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) planetary committee said it was "deeply acrophobic regarding the ongoing events successful Ukraine and the sedate impacts connected quality life," and said the enactment would "join our planetary partners successful calling for peace."

Russia's Yamal-Nenets autonomous region is approximately 2,500 kilometres northeast of Moscow. It has a important Indigenous population, and earlier 2022, it had participated successful the Arctic Winter Games since 2004. In 2020, the AWG International Committee announced that the portion was slated to big the games successful 2026.

The 2026 games are present planned for Whitehorse successful March.

In its connection this week, the AWG planetary committee said the suspension of the Russian squad is portion of an "ongoing committedness to younker safety, ineligible compliance, and the integrity of the Games."

John Rodda, president of the committee, said it's astir the AWG's principles of "safety, fairness and respect for each participants."

He besides said the committee is processing a process to reappraisal the determination aft the 2026 event.

That volition impact "transparent benchmarks and timelines for ongoing assessment," Wednesday's quality merchandise states.