The Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev said that the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) will soon announce the admission of Russian athletes under the age of 23 to international tournaments.

In December 2025, the IOC announced that the organization’s executive committee recommended that international federations not limit the access of athletes from Russia and Belarus to youth competitions in both individual and team disciplines. At the same time, the IOC Executive Committee recommended that international sports federations maintain the current restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes in adult competitions.

— Literally late yesterday evening there was already information, now it will be made public, that [международная] The weightlifting federation decided to admit everyone with the flag and anthem [спортсменов] up to 20–23 years old. It will be officially announced today. And adults, after recovery from OCD, will also be admitted,” Degtyarev said at the forum “Knowledge. State”.

Frenchman Eric Perrault won the shortened individual race at the Biathlon World Cup in the Czech city of Nove Mesto.

He covered 15 kilometers in 36 minutes and 30.6 seconds, working without errors on four firing lines.

Second place was taken by another representative of France, Emilien Jacquelin, who lost 41.8 seconds to the leader (0 penalties). Italian Lukas Hofer was third (+54.1 seconds, 0 penalties).

On Friday, January 23, the women’s shortened individual race of 12.5 km will take place.

Russian athletes will have the right to communicate with media representatives and participate in press conferences during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy, the press service of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told Match TV.

The Olympics will be held on February 6–22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Russians will perform in Italy in a neutral status.

— Will neutral athletes from Russia be allowed to communicate with the media at the 2026 Olympic Games? What about the Russian media?

— At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, mixed zones provide the opportunity to interact with neutral athletes. However, video filming is permitted only for media rights holders.

Athletes may be invited to the main press center for an on-camera/audio interview with non-media rights holders.

If they win a medal, the athletes will be invited to a press conference at the competition site, the IOC press service told Match TV.

Previously, invitations from the IOC to the Olympics were received by Russian skiers Saveliy Korostelev and Daria Nepryaeva, speed skaters Ksenia Korzhova and Anastasia Semenova, figure skaters Pyotr Gumennik and Adelia Petrosyan, ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov, as well as short track speed skaters Ivan Posashkov and Alena Krylova.