The Russian Biathlon Association has turbulent days ahead. The reason: President Viktor Maigourov was proven to have committed serious fraud in the form of document forgery. The calls for his immediate resignation are getting louder.
The Russian Biathlon Federation is facing an unexpected leadership change. This week a court in Yekaterinburg invalidated a university degree held by incumbent Viktor Maigourov. According to the conviction of the court, the 54-year-old had forged it. It is the second time that the former biathlete has had his diploma retrospectively revoked.
Former biathlete Dmitry Vasilyev is among the growing camp that expect Maigourov to step down immediately.
“He should resign. Moral and ethical arguments are paramount now. I don’t know if the law requires him to resign, but I think the moral and ethical aspects are enough. If the head of an association is presented with a fake Diploma is proven, it’s a serious matter,” Vasilyev told state news agency RIA Novosti.
Russian biathlon boss a repeat offender
The well-known TV commentator Dmitry Guberniev also sees no turning back for the head of the association. “As far as I know, according to the rules of the federation, Maigourov can no longer be president because he now lacks the necessary higher education,” he said, who warned against taking the situation lightly. “Then the association could become a circus. And nobody can want that.”
Former biathlete Anfisa Reztsova agreed. She also cannot imagine that Maigourov can be at the head of the association in the future. “Does he have to go? I think so. And he knows it himself,” she told “Sport Express”.
For Maigourov there is an additional problem: The 54-year-old is a repeat offender. As early as 2011, a forged diploma was proven. At that time he had to give up his post as president of the sports department of the administrative unit Ugra. Now he could also lose the post at the head of the Russian Biathlon Association.