World Curling has announced that junior athletes from Russia and Belarus will be permitted to compete internationally starting in May 2026, following an International Olympic Committee recommendation. The first event will be the World Junior Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Edmonton, Canada. Adult athletes from both nations remain excluded from competitions.
World Curling's decision allows Russian and Belarusian junior curlers to return to the international stage after years of exclusion. The ban on adult athletes from both countries stemmed from the Sochi 2014 Olympics doping scandal and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In response to the International Olympic Committee's executive board recommendation at last December's Olympic Summit—which stated that junior athletes should not be held accountable for their governments' actions—World Curling's board held comprehensive discussions leading to this announcement on January 30, 2026.
The reinstatement begins with the 2026 World Junior Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, scheduled for May in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Russian Curling Federation has confirmed it will enter a mixed doubles pair for the event. Canada thus becomes the first host site to welcome these young competitors back.
Adult athletes face ongoing exclusion, with World Curling stating, “The existing event exclusion will remain in place for the adult athletes at this time and will be reviewed by World Curling following member consultations at the Open Meetings being held in Geneva in April.”
Russia has a history of success in junior curling, securing three women's world junior championship titles in team play: in 2006 with Liudmila Privivkova, 2013 with Alina Kovaleva, and 2019 with Vlada Rumiansteva.
This development aligns with broader trends in international sports. Ahead of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, 20 Russian and Belarusian athletes have been approved to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in ski and snowboard, skating, and select summer sports like aquatics and gymnastics. However, both nations remain barred from team events, including curling. Recently, boxing and judo have permitted full participation from Russia and Belarus.
