International Skating Federation adheres to Russia’s ban on invading Ukraine | Joongang Ilbo | JoongAng Ilbo

Russian skaters will be banned from participating in international competitions until October.

After the International Skating Federation (ISU) finished its board meeting held in Budapest, Hungary on the 12th (Japan time), “We discussed the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). We have decided to stick to our critical stance on the invasion.”

In March, the IOC proposed a new standard limiting Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation in international competitions to individual qualifications. In response to this, organizations in multiple sports such as judo, taekwondo, boxing and handball allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions. The 2024 Summer Olympics (Olympics) in Paris are now available as individuals.

However, the ISU has decided to continue its previous decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions. Therefore, Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be able to participate in international skating events such as figure skating, speed skating, and short track until the next board meeting is held in October this year.

In March last year, the ISU banned Russia, which invaded Ukraine, and Belarusian athletes, who sided with Russia, from participating in international competitions, stripping them of the international competitions that were planned to be held by the two countries. As a result, Russian athletes such as Beijing Olympic women’s singles gold medalist Anna Shcherbakova and silver medalist Alexandra Trusova were unable to participate in the 2022-23 season international competition.

It was the same with Kamila Valieva, who had a doping problem. Valieva was tested for the banned drug trimetazidine in her system after the team event at the Beijing Olympics, but she competed without disciplinary action and finished fourth. In the end, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) did not take disciplinary action against Valieva on the grounds that she was a minor under the age of 16 who had no right to take drugs.

While the rival Russian players were absent, the Korean players performed well. Lee Hae-in won the silver medal in the women’s singles at the World Championships in March this year, and Kim Ye-rim won the fifth round of the Grand Prix last November. With Russian athletes unable to participate this season, expectations are high for Korean athletes to win medals.