Russia officially is banned from the 2026 Winter Olympics, but 13 athletes have qualified to compete as "neutral'' athletes. Here's how that works.

BBC Sport finds evidence raising questions over the neutral eligibility of four Russian athletes.

Nearly four years after Vladimir Putin launched Europe’s deadliest war since World War II, Russia remains banned by the IOC although individual Russians can compete in the Olympics as

Beating the Americans will feel even sweeter for the U.S.' top allies.

At the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, that superpower rivalry was on full display on the ice. The U.S. men’s ice hockey team — made up largely of college players and amateurs — faced off against the Soviet squad, a battle-hardened, gold medal-winning machine. The Americans weren’t supposed to stand a chance.