MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Representatives of the Russian Olympic delegation at the 2026 Winter Games, which concluded last week in Italy, encountered no negative attitude toward them at all, Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Mikhail Degtyarev said on Wednesday.
"The key takeaway is that you have to attend competitions, take part, and build experience," he noted. "The atmosphere was excellent - everyone was hugging our athletes, taking photos, and the stands were fully supportive."
"No rejection whatsoever and chatter from our opponents that there was some kind of hostility. It's all nonsense," Degtyarev added.
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games took place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from February 6-22, 2026. Thirteen Russian athletes competed under a neutral status in figure skating, speed skating, short track, freestyle skiing, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, luge and ski mountaineering.
Russia’s Nikita Filippov won the silver medal in the Men’s Ski Mountaineering Sprint event, and it was the first and the only medal at the 2026 Olympics for the team of athletes competing under a neutral status.