Italian deputy premier Matteo Salvini on Tuesday said that he would like to see athletes from Russia and Ukraine compete at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics next year, in case the war is over.
The leader of the far-right League party, a junior partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, said this during the inauguration of the Winter Olympics bobsleigh track in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
“Given that there are peace talks (on the Ukraine war) going on at the moment, and that the Olympic spirit should be what brings people and athletes together, I hope the Milan-Cortina Olympics 2026 will be the first that will see Ukrainian and Russian athletes take to the ski slopes,” Salvini said.
“To see athletes from all over the world — once the war is over — run those 1,700 metres will mean that we have built a little piece of peace and that will be the most important thing.”
Russia and its ally Belarus have been banned from hosting sports events since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Their flags, anthems are banned from most world events.
At Paris 2024, only 15 athletes took part under a neutral flag after proving that they have no ies to the military or security services.
A similar condition can be made for the Russian athletes at the Milano Cortina 2026.
Salvini is an admirer of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Although that stance likely changed during the war. He has worked closely to curb Italy’s military aid, although he has not blocked it.
He called French president Emmanuel Macron “crazy” for proposing to send troops to ensure any peace deal in Ukraine was observed. He added, “Europe should be a protagonist of peace”.
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