BORMIO, Italy — Nikita Filippov of Russia won the first medal for Individual And Neutral athletes (represented by the acronym ‘AIN’) Thursday, Feb. 29, at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Filippov placed second and earned silver in the men’s ski mountaineering sprint competition, the first new Olympic sport since 1998.
Russia and Belarus were banned by the International Olympic Committee for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and these Games as a result of the war in Ukraine. However, individual athletes screened and cleared by an IOC committee – which includes a social-media review – were allowed to participate. Any show of support for or ties to the war against Ukraine disqualified an athlete from competing.
Filippov, 23, is one of 13 athletes competing under the AIN banner. They were not allowed to participate in the opening ceremony. No Russian flags, banners or anthems were permitted at the Olympics.
Filippov finished 1.32 seconds behind the gold medal-winner, Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain. France’s Thibault Anselmet took bronze.
