Athletes from Russia and Belarus are still not allowed to take part in competitions of the International Ski Federation FIS.
This was decided by the FIS Council during a session on Saturday in Sölden. The FIS is responsible for the sports of Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, as well as freestyle and snowboard competitions.
The World Federation justified its decision by saying that it wanted to “maintain the integrity of the FIS competitions and the safety of all participants” and to comply with the IOC recommendation for further suspension. The FIS did not initially provide any further details on the decision.
The association had excluded Russia and Belarus from the World Cup season on March 1 because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Broad camp against a return
Especially from Scandinavia’s Nordic camp there had recently been loud voices against a return of Russia and Belarus, several athletes even considered a boycott of the Planica World Championships in this case.
The German Ski Association (DSV) had also spoken out against a return. “In previous voting rounds, the DSV has always positioned itself clearly and fully supports the IBU’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian teams from participating in international competitions,” said DSV President Franz Steinle when asked by SID.