Clear in white: Russian skiers allowed to participate in international competitions

Russia has achieved admission to international competitions for skiers and snowboarders. The news was shared by the Minister of Sports and President of the ROC Mikhail Degtyarev. Now our "winter" athletes have a real chance to qualify for the Olympic Games, which will be held in Italy in two months. There is catastrophically little time left, and if skiers still have starts in Switzerland, Italy and Germany, then in other sports the corridor of opportunities is much narrower — and in game sports it is still completely closed to ours. See the Izvestia article about what Russian fans can expect and what our athletes can expect.

The third victory

The hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was held on December 1, and the final decision was announced on December 2.

"The arbitrators recognized the demands of the Russian side as justified and legitimate and, in accordance with the decision of the IOC, obliged the FIS to allow Russian athletes to compete in Olympic disciplines in a neutral status, and athletes in Paralympic disciplines on the same terms as athletes from other countries, that is, under the national flag and with all the required national attributes." Degtyarev wrote on his Telegram channel.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS for short) controls more than a third of Olympic sports. So this is good news for a decent number of our athletes: skiers, downhill skiers, snowboarders, biathletes, ski jumpers, and freestyle skiers. All of them have not competed in international competitions since 2022.

The sanctions were extended every season. The last such decision was made on October 21. The FIS Council voted against the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the qualification competitions for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in a neutral status.

Before that meeting, the organization sent a letter to the national federations with an anonymous admission survey signed by FIS President Johan Elias.

"No one can decide where to be born," the letter said. — We need to perceive athletes beyond political pressure and influence. We must support all athletes and ensure that they are not used as a tool in a political game. Our statuses state that the FIS must be politically neutral. This principle is sacred, a principle based on the belief that sport unites humanity. International competitions create a bridge between people and nations.

However, all the efforts of the organization's leaders did not lead to a positive outcome of the vote. Moreover, some federations and their athletes have threatened to boycott if Russians and Belarusians are allowed in. It seemed that we no longer had a chance to get to the Games in Italy in six sports at once.

A tentative hope remained for a successful appeal to the CAS, which began to strengthen after the success of similar appeals in bobsleigh and skeleton, as well as in luge.

— It is important that this is the third court decision in favor of Russia in the Winter Olympic sports, — said Degtyarev. — Earlier, the appeals tribunal of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation declared illegal the decision of the organization's congress to ban the participation of Russian athletes in competitions, and the CAS partially satisfied the appeal of the Russian Luge Federation and decided to allow Russian luge athletes to participate in international competitions in a neutral status.

"This is very good news," Dmitry Svishchev, a State Duma deputy and head of the Russian Curling Federation, said in an interview with Izvestia. — This is a powerful victory for our lawyers, the federation, the Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports. Everything worked out, and we got a good result. The absence of our skiers at international competitions was insulting and unfair. I would also like to congratulate the arbitrators of the Supreme Arbitration Court, who made a fair decision. Although I am sure that pressure was put on them. But justice prevailed.

The ski track was not given: the international federation refused to lift sanctions from Russians

The Scandinavian lobby did not allow our neutral athletes to participate in the Olympics

There are chances

It turns out that now Russian athletes have not been allowed to qualify for the Olympics in only one individual winter event — biathlon. Plus, representatives of team sports — curlers and hockey players - cannot compete in international competitions. This is hindered by the recommendations of the IOC, besides, all the selection deadlines in the gaming disciplines have long passed.

Now FIS is obliged to allow Russians and Belarusians to qualify for the Olympics. But the process may take a long time, which will affect the chances of getting into the Games. Now the organization must determine the criteria for obtaining a neutral status, and then consider the applications of Russians for participation. This process takes place at different speeds in different federations. The luge athletes, for example, managed to resolve all the issues before the start of the selection, but the bobsledders and skeleton athletes are still dragging their feet.

In ski sports, the selection process has been going on for a long time. In cross-country skiing, skipping last season severely affected the ability of Russians to travel to the Olympics with a large team. According to the qualification regulations, we can obtain a license for only one man and one woman. To do this, you need to break into the World Cup and earn points there. The first stage has already passed — in the Hand. I don't think we would have got there, because the Finns said they wouldn't give the Russians visas if they were allowed in. The second stage will take place in unfriendly Norway — from December 5 to December 7 in Trondheim. We obviously won't make it there in time. But there is time to score points until January 18. During this period, there will be more stages in Switzerland, Italy and Germany.

In other Olympic sports, which are subject to the FIS, quotas are distributed according to the rating for the last couple of seasons. Of course, we are not in this ranking yet. It is necessary not only to score points, but also to take high and even prizes.

"There is certainly a shift," Dmitry Guberniev, a commentator and adviser to the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. — Young people have a chance to go skiing: Korostelev and Pekletsova. There will be access, just like in Paris. Admission will not be easy, but there are chances. Let's not forget about freestyle skiers, snowboarders, jumpers, and biathletes. But the important point here is where we can qualify. Relatively speaking, in Davos at the World Cup. As for the skiers, now we need to work out how they can let us in. Composition, admission criteria, and so on. There is little time left, but there are chances to participate in the Olympiad. Whoever passes the criteria will go. No one will make mistakes in Paris now. If there is an opportunity to qualify, we must qualify. The vector is clear. Whoever gets in the way is against Russia.

"If I used to say that the chance of going to the Olympics is 95-97 percent, now I estimate it at one percent — time is limited, there are bureaucratic processes that can be easily delayed," Savely Korostelev, one of the leaders of the ski racing team, told Izvestia.

The Russian sports federations have taken care of visa issues in advance and are ready to fly to Europe for competitions as soon as the opportunity arises. However, much does not depend on us. We are waiting to see how the FIS will behave in the process of issuing neutral statuses. I also wonder how the athletes from Sweden and Norway, who threatened to boycott the Olympics, will react. Would they go all the way, or was it a bluff?