The International Skating Union (ISU) has revoked the neutral athlete status of Russian figure skaters Kamila Valieva and Mark Kondratiuk, according to a person familiar with the situation on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. The decision follows concerns regarding potential breaches of neutrality criteria related to support for the war in Ukraine. Without neutral status, the athletes are unable to participate in international competitions, earn world ranking points, or contend for global titles.
The revocation follows a shift in ISU policy for the current season, which presumes athletes from Russia and Belarus are eligible for neutral status unless they meet specific disqualifying criteria. These include serving in military or security forces, participating in military operations against Ukraine, or providing "active and public support" for the war since 2022. The ISU had previously barred these athletes following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine but established a pathway for vetted individuals to compete without national flags.
The ISU declined to comment on the specific cases, and representatives for Valieva were not immediately available for comment. The Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation recently urged the ISU to implement stricter background audits and continuous monitoring to ensure neutrality rules are strictly enforced.
For Valieva, this marks another barrier to her international career following the four-year ban imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2024, which she completed in December 2025. While two Russian skaters, Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik, were permitted to compete as neutrals in the Milano-Cortina Olympics earlier this year, the ISU has now moved to a model where all Russian skaters are screened against specific conduct criteria.
The ISU is scheduled to rule on appeals by both Valieva and Kondratiuk by the middle of next week. If these appeals are unsuccessful, the athletes maintain the right to take their cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. No specific dates for potential CAS hearings have been established.