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Poland has confirmed that two Russian ski jumpers will not be allowed into the country to take part in a World Cup event in Zakopane next week, despite being cleared to compete by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
On 2 December, CAS ruled that Russian skiers and snowboarders should be allowed to apply as neutral athletes for qualification events for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
On 22 December, Russian ski jumpers Danil Sadreev and Mikhail Nazarov were granted neutral athlete status by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). They had hoped to compete in the Four Hills Tournament currently taking place in Austria and Germany, but did not receive visas in time.
Polska zablokuje start Rosjan w Zakopanem. "Sprawa jest zamknięta" #Skijumpingfamily
WIĘCEJ 👇https://t.co/2AAMA4DLCr pic.twitter.com/cAm4nlimfb
— Sport PolskieRadio24.pl (@sport_pr24pl) December 17, 2025
The next major ski jumping event is being held on 11 January at the famous Wielka Krokiew hill in the mountain resort town of Zakopane in southern Poland. It is one of the last chances to qualify for the Olympics, which begin in Italy on 6 February.
However, in a statement on Friday issued to Polskie Radio, the Polish foreign ministry confirmed that there is no chance of the Russian athletes being allowed to take part.
It pointed to the fact that, since September 2022, restrictions have been in place on the entry of Russians to Poland. “Due to the impossibility of crossing the border, there are no grounds for accepting a visa application,” wrote the ministry.
Last month, after CAS issued its ruling, Poland’s sports minister, Jakub Rutnicki, said that “the idea of a Russian competing in Zakopane is non-existent” and there would be “no discussion” of it.
“The Russian national team, even under a neutral flag, should not participate,” said Rutnicki. “Given what is happening beyond our eastern border, and also within the territory of Poland, we cannot imagine that the Russians could participate in any form.”
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s closest allies since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. It has also itself suffered from a series of “hybrid actions” carried out by Russian operatives, including sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.
In 2023, a Russian speed skater, Vladimir Semirunniy, fled to Poland, where he was allowed to compete for the Polish national team after declaring his opposition to the war in Ukraine. After receiving Polish citizenship last year, Semirunniy expressed his ambition to compete in the Olympics for his new country.
A Russian speed skater who fled to Poland has now been granted Polish citizenship, opening the way for him to compete for his new country at next year’s Winter Olympics.
Vladimir Semirunniy thanked President @NawrockiKn for helping him obtain citizenship https://t.co/6hfWq69RxA
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 27, 2025
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Piotr Drabik/Flickr (under CC BY 2.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
