Elena Vyalbe said she would ban Russian skiers from competing under a neutral flag
The head of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (FLGR), Elena Vyalbe, spoke about the performance of Russians in tournaments under a neutral flag. Her words are reported by Match TV.
“Yes, we already traveled under a neutral flag. And absolutely under neutral, not like it was at the last Olympic Games. But there was a really different situation there, ”said Vyalba. The specialist said that in the current situation she would forbid her wards to compete under a neutral flag. She explained that the people would respect them for such a decision.
On March 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that Belarusians and Russians who did not support the special operation in Ukraine be allowed to compete in a neutral status. At the same time, athletes from Russia and Belarus associated with the armed forces or security agencies of their countries are recommended to be suspended from participating in tournaments. Since the end of February 2022, most Russian athletes have been suspended from tournaments on the recommendation of the IOC.
In 2015, a doping scandal erupted in Russian sports. Domestic athletes were accused of massive anti-doping rule violations. The scandal affected many sports, some athletes lost their medals in major competitions. As a result of the investigation, some of the domestic athletes did not make it to the 2016 Olympics, and the team of “Olympic Athletes from Russia” went to the Games of 2018, 2020 and 2022 without a flag and an anthem.
Source: Lenta
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