Jan-Erik Aalbu comments on the Russians’ return to the World Cup.
Jan-Erik Aalbu comments on the return of the Russians. Reuters
Russian ski jumpers Danil Sadreev22, and Mikhail Nazarov31, will be allowed to compete again in the Ski Jumping World Cup, the International Ski Federation (FIS) announced on Monday evening.
They have to compete without country codes.
The above-mentioned jumpers are the first Russians that Fis has accepted back to the hill tower.
Manager of the Norwegian cross country team Jan-Erik Aalbu is not satisfied with Fis’s decision.
– We have to accept that they have the opportunity to participate. But personally I think it’s a shame as long as Russia is still at war with Ukraine, he said for Dagbladet.
Aalbu heard about it when the Norwegian media asked his opinion on the matter.
– I can only imagine how this feels for Ukrainian athletes. But we just have to support this decision. There are entities far above me who make these decisions, he continued.
The hill jumping boss himself has mixed thoughts about the Russians’ situation.
– In many ways, I sympathize with the Russian athletes. They suffer under their own rule. At the same time, they are part of that system and, in my opinion, also have to bear its consequences. However, these are just my own thoughts, and are not related to the views of the Norwegian Skiing Association. I’m only speaking for myself.
Only those Russian and Belorussian athletes who have not expressed an active or interpreted support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during the war can participate in the competitions under Fis.
The Hill Jumping World Cup continues on December 29, when the legendary Hill Week begins. Mäkivikio competitions are jumped in Germany and Austria.