The International Ski and Snowboard Federation ignores the IOC’s recommendation and does not allow Russian and Belarusian participation in the future.

This became clear after a board meeting in Zurich on Wednesday. There it was announced in advance that the fiery affair of Russia would be resumed.

In a statement, the FIS said athletes from Russia and Belarus will continue to be banned “for the time being”.

This is the first time the FIS Board of Directors has formally discussed the issue after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that all international federations reopen the door to Russia and Belarus.

In the IOC statement that was released at the end of March, it is stated that Russian and Belarusian athletes should now be allowed to participate under certain conditions. The condition is above all that they compete as neutrals, without national symbols and associated with the Russian flag.

Discord

It must also be required that the athletes in question have shown no form of support for hostilities in Ukraine and that they have no formal connection with the Russian military.

The IOC left it to each confederation to make the final decision. This led to a deep division in the sports movement. Several confederations opted to toe the IOC line, while others insisted that Russia and Belarus be kept out as long as hostilities continued.

There was great excitement about what the FIS would land on. Already before Wednesday’s meeting in Zurich, it was known that the board shared opinions among the board members.

FIS President Johan Eliasch has already signaled this winter that he thinks the IOC’s position on the matter must weigh heavily to be followed. Former Norwegian ski president Erik Røste, who is a board member, for his part was very clear that the only right thing to do is to keep the ban.

Difficult assessment

Røste argued that it will be very difficult to assess which athletes are neutral and which are not.

The Russian question is also simmering politically. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has indicated that she will study the possibility of refusing the entry of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the context of competitions on German soil.

Denmark’s culture minister has opened the door to the same, but fears EU rules could be an obstacle to such a move.

(© NTB)