Okko, the Russian sports streaming service, has secured exclusive rights covering the upcoming Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which will feature several Russian athletes competing with neutral status.
In a statement, Okko said: “For the first time in Russia, a streaming service will broadcast the Olympics in their entirety and on an exclusive basis.”
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The agreement will see Okko provide free coverage to all Olympic events live and on demand during the games, which will take place from February 6 to 22, and will also deliver alternative commentary, highlights, news, reviews, exclusive programs, interviews, and on-site reports.
Speaking to Russian media group RBC, the country’s sports minister, Mikhail Degtyrev, said: “For Russian viewers, this means easy access to the main sporting event of the year and connection to international sport, of which our country has been and remains a part.”
Okko’s head of sport, Oleg Manzha, added that the service acquired the rights through an intermediary, but added: “Under the terms of the agreement, we are not disclosing the company’s name until a separate public announcement from the partner.”
The Olympic Games have not been aired by Russian state television since 2022 due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, which triggered various sporting sanctions, including the International Olympic Committee suspending the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee.
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By GlobalDataThe IOC also barred Russian and Belarusian state media from participating in the tender process for European media rights covering four editions of the Olympic Games from 2026 to 2032.
The rights in Europe were then awarded to the European Broadcasting Union and Warner Bros. Discovery, which submitted a joint tender.
Telesport Group, a joint venture between the National Media Group (NMG) led by ex-gymnast Alina Kabaeva and the state bank Sberbank’s entertainment branch, held the rights to broadcast the 2024 Olympic Games.
However, the broadcaster ended up not airing the event due to the near-total absence of its athletes.
The new rights deal comes after the IOC opened the door to Russian and Belarusian athletes competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics as neutrals if they met strict conditions, including passing background checks to ensure they had no ties to the military or security services.
The athletes will not have their national identity of team colors, flag, or anthem, and cannot take part in the opening ceremony athlete parades.
Last week, Russian short-track speed skaters Ivan Posashkov (men’s 1,000 meter) and Alena Krylova (women’s 500 meter) were approved, joining Russian figure skaters Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik and Nikita Filippov, who competes in ski mountaineering. Belarusian figure skater Viktoriia Safonova also passed checks.
More Russian and Belarusian athletes are expected to be added ahead of the event, but the country is still excluded from team sports like ice hockey.
