Biathlete Chepikov declared harm to world sport due to OI suspensions

World sport will not benefit from the suspension of Russian biathletes from the 2026 Olympics, the level of competition should be high enough. Two-time Olympic champion and two-time world champion in biathlon Sergey Chepikov told Izvestia about this on August 28.

"In my opinion, sport should unite athletes, not separate them. We must use every opportunity available so that biathlon pleases fans from different countries and the competition is at a high professional level. When representatives of strong powers speak, when there is a high level of competition, everyone benefits from this," Chepikov stressed.

According to him, the competitions will be held in a good location, where Russians have always shown good results.

"Of course, it's sad that the IBU is doing this. But we understand that the IBU leadership, to put it mildly, treats us unkindly," he said.

Chepikov expressed the hope that the IBU will change its mind, if not at the next Olympic Games, then at the next ones.

"The IBU will be the last one to allow our athletes to compete"

Biathlete Alexander Povarnitsyn — about the chances of ending isolation, the results of the current season and the difficulties with shooting speed

Earlier in the day, it was reported that the International Biathlon Union (IBU) had ruled out the participation of neutral athletes in the qualifying tournament for the 2026 Games in Italy. According to the organization, 186 of the 210 Olympic quotas for participation in the Olympics have already been distributed among the National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

June 11, Sports Director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Keith McConnell called for work on the admission of Russians to tournaments. He expressed gratitude to those who allowed neutral athletes with Belarusian and Russian passports to participate in the competition.

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