Winter Olympics 2026: Manjeet's entry declined; Stanzin Lundup to represent India in cross-country skiing

The confusion surrounding India's second athlete at the 2026 Winter Olympics was finally put to rest on Thursday, with Stanzin Lundup taking the flight to Milano Cortina, Italy just a day before the opening ceremony.

This development comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected Manjeet's entry in cross country skiing, which was directed by the Delhi High Court last week.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had forwarded Lundup's name as to represent the country last month.

Lundup had earned the basic quota with his performance at the 2025 FIS Nordic World Championships as the best performing Indian.

However, Manjeet had approached the Delhi High Court with a writ petition that he should be the one competing in Milano Cortina as the higher ranked Indian.

The issue rose out of the fact that the basic quota belonged to the National Olympic Committee and not the individual athlete.

Though, Manjeet had not competed at the 2025 FIS Nordic World Championships, he was the higher ranked Indian, thanks to his performances during the qualification period from 1 June, 2024 to 18 January, 2026.

The Delhi High Court, in a judgement, had termed Lundup's selection for the Winter Olympics "arbitrary and unfair."

It also noted that the Indian Olympic Association and the ad-hoc committee of Ski and Snowboard India (SSI) had failed in its duties as the supervisory body, and ordered the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to step in to ensure that Manjeet is accommodated in the Indian contingent.

The IOA had contented that Manjeet's name wasn't even present in the long list sent last year, and hence his name can't be accommodated.

The judgement was despite the fact that the deadline for quota allocation and re-allocation for the Games had already ended. 

Now with the IOC rejecting Manjeet's entry, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has cleared Lundup's travel to the Games.

He will join alpine skiier Arif Khan, who'll also be India's flag bearer in the opening ceremony on Friday, as the second Indian athlete in Italy.