Odious State Duma deputy and Olympic champion Svetlana Zhurova believes that the International Biathlon Union's (IBU) decision regarding Russian biathletes is Russophobic. This was reported by 'Glavkom'.
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) excludes the possibility of neutral athletes, including Russians and Belarusians, participating in the qualification for the 2026 Olympic Games.
«In my understanding, the IBU hurried because the IOC Executive Board meeting has not yet taken place. Perhaps there could be better decisions regarding our athletes there. On the other hand, the IBU may say: «What does the IOC have to do with us? We live our own lives, we make decisions as we wish!» It is strange that even neutral athletes from Russia will not be able to attend the Olympic Games.
These are public organizations; they can make their own decisions. The IOC may say that it wants to see Russian biathletes at the Olympics, but the IBU can say that it does not see them at the World Cup. That is, they may be able to go to the Olympics but cannot actually attend it. Federations may have different interpretations of the IOC's recommendations.
New data on Russian athletes
Recall that the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published new data on Russian athletes who support the war on the War&Sanctions portal under the section «Champions of Terror».
The list includes information about eight more Russian athletes and officials who support the war. It is worth noting that the basis for including these Russians in the list was materials from «Glavkom».
- Russian wrestlers Zaur Uguyev, Abulrashid Sadulaev, and Zaurbek Sidakov;
- Angelina Melnikova;
- Pavel Rojkov;
Also added to the list were Inal Tasoev, Dinara Kudayeva, and Emin Sefershaev.
The emergence of new data on Russian athletes who support the war indicates the spread of the problem of politicization of sports and the mixing of athletic achievements with criminal actions or views. This causes outrage and discussion in the sports world and can also impact the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions.