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Russian skiers are still suspended from all skiing competitions.
Now the star skater Veronika Stepanova admits that she has given up hope.
– They certainly hope that the situation will “solve itself”, she tells SVT Sport.
Ever since March 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian skiers have been banned from all international ski competitions. It will also look like this from now on as the International Ski Federation, Fis, has made the decision to extend the suspension.
Russian skiing criticism
Russian athletes have been very critical of mixing politics with sports and have been heavily criticized for being banned from the World Ski Championships and all World Cup competitions. One of the most critical voices has been the Russian skiing star Veronika Stepanova and she has previously called Fi’s entire decision “hypocrisy”.
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Now Stepanova is raising her voice again after the suspension is extended and admits that she has lost hope that the situation will be resolved.
– Fis is trying to strike a balance, but it mostly looks like they are pushing the problem in front of them and they are surely hoping that the situation will “solve itself”. I don’t think so, not anymore, she says in an interview with SVT.
– Let me be clear, we either come back as equals, or we don’t come back at all.
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Sweden and Norway
22-year-old Stepanova has won Olympic gold in the relay and won five medals at the JVM and the U23 WC. And at the same time directs a strong boot to Sweden and Norway, who are currently dominating cross-country skiing without Russia’s participation.
– By equal, I mean first and foremost without any “election committee”, which would have the right to question my political views and form of employment. Don’t you like it? Yes, the world is much bigger than Scandinavia. You can ski as much as you want without us, we do the same, says the Russian to the TV channel.
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Veronika Stepanova is then asked if she can understand why she and other Russian skiers are banned and that many other active skiers think it is the right decision. Then the 22-year-old answers like this:
– I’m okay with people thinking, saying or doing things as long as it’s not illegal. The fact that they have different opinions doesn’t bother me in the least. You can disagree as long as you respect each other, she says in the interview.
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