Samsung does not provide smartphones to Russian neutral athletes at Winter Games.

Russian athletes competing under a neutral flag at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy did not receive the traditional commemorative smartphones usually distributed to participants upon arrival at the Olympic Village.

The devices, typically supplied by South Korean technology company Samsung Electronics, a sponsor of the International Olympic Committee, are issued in a special Olympic edition with pre-installed Games applications and schedules.

Samsung’s website had stated that nearly 3,800 Olympic and Paralympic participants would receive phones engraved with Olympic branding.

Russian ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov wrote on his Telegram channel that neutral athletes were not given the devices and received only basic toiletries.

Russian athletes also did not receive smartphones at the 2024 Summer Olympics