By Ben Church, Amanda Davies, CNN

(CNN) — Ukrainian Youth and Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi told CNN Sports that it’s “too early” to speak about Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under their nations’ flags at next year’s Winter Olympics, with peace talks to end the war in Ukraine still ongoing.

As it stands, those with a Russian and Belarusian passport may only compete as individual neutral athletes (AINs) at next year’s Winter Games, with each separate case being reviewed to ensure there had been no previous support of the war.

Meanwhile, Russian and Belarusian teams – such as in ice hockey – will face a blanket ban from competition, while any national signifiers, such as flags, will be prohibited at Olympic venues.

But, with peace proposals aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia gaining new traction, the possibility of a peace deal being reached before the Games in Milan-Cortina begin on February 6 seems less remote, opening the question around whether those suspended athletes could compete for their nation.

“I think it’s too early to talk about it,” Bidnyi told CNN Sports, when asked whether a peace deal could open the door for those athletes to return.

“We (Ukraine) have a lot of issues with the preparation to competition. We have a lot of killed coaches and athletes, we have had a lot of losses because of the war, because of Russia.

“I think we are too far from the final position where we can say that justice was achieved.”

There had been optimism from the Trump administration that a deal was close this week – with a US official even briefing reporters in a closed group that Ukraine had agreed to a peace proposal.

However, such claims were tempered by a senior Ukrainian source with direct knowledge of the negotiations who told CNN that there were at least three crucial areas in the proposal where significant differences remain.

800 sports facilities damaged

While talks continue, the impact of the war has continued to damage Ukraine’s ability to prepare for major international competitions, such as the Winter Olympics.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Sport, 800 sports facilities across the country have now been damaged since the full-scale invasion started in 2022, up from over 500 reported by Bidnyi in July 2024.

The vast majority of Ukrainian athletes must therefore train and prepare for the Winter Olympics abroad. Bidnyi said that 18 Ukrainian athletes have so far qualified for the Games, but there were hopes around 40 would be heading to Italy when competition starts.

“Of course, the facilities for winter sports need even more resources. It needs more electricity at least, for example, ice arenas need a stable electricity flow,” Bidnyi said, adding that the number of damaged facilities increases almost every week due to Russian aggression.

“Now, if you walk on the Kyiv streets, you can hear a lot of generators, engine generators for electricity, because we have a big problem with it, because Russia makes (energy) terrorism.”

Despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) so far upholding the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under their respective nation’s flag for the Winter Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) lifted the ban for the Paralympic Winter Games which follow the Winter Olympics.

The international federations for individual Paralympic sports can therefore decide whether or not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete – although some athletes have already missed qualification opportunities to reach the Games. Still, several federations have either upheld the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes or decided not to facilitate the qualification of either nation, such as the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and World Curling.

Bidnyi called the IPC’s decision “strange” and urged sporting governing bodies to uphold their support of Ukraine by not allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete on the international stage.

He said a strong ceasefire needed to be agreed upon and seen in practice before those athletes should re-enter the global stage, in addition to funds being allocated to Ukraine to help with the rebuild of the country.

Then, and only then, does Bidnyi think negotiations could start regarding Russian and Belarusian athletes being reintegrated.

“Sometimes, international sports organizations, they attempt to support the Russian and Belarusian athletes, covering it by the principle of autonomy of sport, some political neutrality, that sports should be out of the politics,” Bidnyi said.

“But everybody should understand the war is not politics, the war is a crime. And if you make crime, I think you can’t be allowed to have an international stage or justify your crime.

“Some of our international partners, I think, have a too diplomatic position on it. I think we must be more united on things, that sports is an important part of the international agenda … international sports organizations have a responsibility for the situation in society.”

But whether or not Russian and Belarusian athletes compete, the Winter Olympics are yet another stage in which Ukraine can show its resilience through sport.

Much like the Ukrainian national soccer team, which still has a chance of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup next year, athletes traveling to the Games have the opportunity to bring some joy to those still facing an uncertain future back home.

For Bidnyi, having Ukrainians compete at major events is a symbol of strength and hope after so many years of war.

Ukraine won a single medal at the previous Winter Games in 2022, when Oleksandr Abramenko claimed silver in the men’s aerials event in freestyle skiing, following up on his gold medal at PyeongChang 2018.

“It’s one more important opportunity to talk about Ukraine, to show our athletes,” he said, telling CNN Sports he had only slept three hours the night before because of Russian shelling attacks.

“Of course, being in the biggest international sports context, it’s a big honor for Ukraine, and I think it’s a sign of our resilience. It’s a sign of our power as a country and it shows our will to win, not only in the sports facilities but in terms of a battlefield for our values, for our common values, our European, free world values.”

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