The International Skiing Federation (FIS) does not admit Russian and Belarusian athletes to its competitions. Martti Uusitalo, who sits on the board of FIS, said that he does not know when the matter will be decided next time.
The return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the racetracks was discussed at the spring congress of the International Ski Federation to such an extent that it was stated at the meeting that the participation ban would continue.
– The topic is always discussed in sports communities. I didn’t even think that any other decision would have been made than that their participation ban is still valid, Martti Uusitalo, reached by phone after the meeting, told Urheilu.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus were banned from FIS sports shortly after Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
At the end of March, the IOC board transferred responsibility for the competition rights of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports federations. This spring, among the international federations, at least fencing, judo and taekwondo have decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in accordance with the IOC criteria.
According to the IOC policy, for example, competition rights cannot be returned to athletes who support the war or to athletes who work in the defense forces of Russia or Belarus or in the service of the security authorities.
According to Uusitalo, there were discussions at the FIS meeting and in the corridors, but he did not want to reveal the content or the votes of the official or unofficial discussions. Uusitalo himself has been strongly against the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes, and his position has not changed. He believes that there are many who think the same way.
– Of course, there are countries for which this matter is not so relevant. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also has a similar division between countries. For some, this is clearly a no-go and others are ready to accept the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee in this matter.
However, the Nordic Ski Federations and the Olympic Committees are on the same lines. Uusitalo believes that the unions will certainly cooperate when necessary. Uusitalo does not know when the next time the return of Russians and Belarusians will be discussed or decided.
– If the matter comes up at some point, perhaps in the fall, I have no information about it, he said.
Source: STT