MILAN (AP) — Russians will be allowed to compete at next year’s Milan-Cortina Winter Games but the International Olympic Committee said on Friday it had never discussed banning Israel. The IOC confirmed after an executive board meeting in Milan that it will follow the system it used at the Paris Games last year, allowing Russians to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes — using the French acronym AIN.

“We also spoke about the individual neutral athletes at Milano-Cortina, this will be nothing new for all of you,” IOC president Kirsty Coventry said. “The executive board will take the exact same approach that was done in Paris, so it’s just a continuation … nothing has changed from Paris.” The Russian Olympic Committee has been suspended since 2023 by the IOC for breaking the Olympic chart

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