MOSCOW, September 10. /TASS/. Russian figure skaters who were denied neutral status by the International Skating Union (ISU) will file appeals with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev told TASS on Thursday.
The ISU announced earlier in the day that it was moving to deny neutral status participation in international tournaments to Russian figure skaters Kamila Valieva, Mark Kondratyuk, Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin.
"The Russian Figure Skating Federation [RFSF] and our skaters, who have been unfairly deprived of the right to compete in ISU’s international competitions, will soon file a lawsuit with the CAS against the ISU," Degtyarev, who is also the president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), stated.
"Our athletes and federations will receive legal support, including the provision of qualified lawyers," he added.
Last month, the ISU granted neutral status to Valieva and Kondratyuk for their participation in international tournaments but revoked it earlier this month. The athletes appealed the decision. On September 5, TASS reported that Stepanova and Bukin had filed an appeal against ISU’s refusal to grant them neutral status, which is required for competing in international tournaments.
Valieva, 20, earlier decided to resume her figure skating career after completing a four-year ban imposed over anti-doping rules’ violation. The figure skater was officially permitted to begin training sessions starting on October·25, 2025.
Kondratyuk, 23, holds an Olympic bronze in the team event and is also the 2022 European champion.
Stepanova, 31, and Bukin, 32, are five-time Russian champions as well as two-time silver and three-time bronze medalists at the European championships in figure skating ice dance.
Participation of Russian figure skaters in int’l competitions
In March 2022, the ISU suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from all international tournaments supervised by the organization due to the developments in Ukraine.
At the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the ISU allowed two Russian figure skaters to participate under a neutral status - Adelia Petrosyan and Petr Gumennik.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a decision in July to reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and also recommended lifting restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes in all international tournaments, including both in individual and team competitions.
Starting from the 2026/27 season, the International Skating Union allowed Russian figure skaters to participate in international competitions in a neutral status.