As in many other sports, Russian and Belarusian biathletes have been banned from international competition since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022.
From the Russian side, they want to change that. According to the Russian site Sport-Express the country’s biathlon federation planned to submit an appeal against the suspension to the sports court of arbitration Cas on Wednesday.
“Russian Biathlon Union will today appeal to Cas. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROK) contributes all the necessary support,” said Sports Minister and ROK Chairman Mikhail Degtyaryev at the time, according to Sport-Express.
Several sports have let Russia into the heat just in time for the Olympics in Italy in February.
However, the biathlon door has been closed after a clear decision from the International Biathlon Union (IBU), but now the Russian Federation sees an opening. This after Cas last week forced the International Skiing and Snowboarding Federation (FIS) to welcome back Russians and Belarusians in, for example, cross-country skiing, on the condition that they are deemed “neutral”.
Whether it will be the same in biathlon remains to be seen.
– I have understood that in biathlon you cannot compete as a neutral athlete, so this does not apply to us, said Swedish star Hanna Öberg last week.
The male star Sebastian Samuelsson:
– At some point we want the Russian and Belarusian skiers back, but the war has to end first, and they wished it was yesterday.
Colleague Anna Magnusson said last week to DN that it is “very important” that the suspension remains. On Thursday, after Russia’s latest announcement, she says:
– There is clear support in biathlon for not letting Russia and Belarus compete. It is a great support for the decision that the IBU has taken. If it turns out to be something else, I think there are many who would be disappointed.
In cross-country skiing can two Russian skiers will compete in this weekend’s World Cup in the Swiss Davos.
In Fi’s case, Cas highlighted Fi’s own statutes in its assessment, which emphasize that the international ski and snowboard federation must be “politically neutral”.
It is not a given that the same assessment is made for biathlon. The International Biathlon Union has said that only those skaters who are already approved to compete in IBU competitions – such as the World Cup – can qualify for the Olympics.
And even if Russia is approved for its appeal, it is unclear whether the country’s biathletes will qualify for the Olympics.
Read more:
The Russian skiers who get to compete this weekend
Mailing in the application – the process for Russian cross-country skiers in the Olympics has begun
