FIS head Eliasch supported the admission of Russians to tournaments in neutral status
President of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Johan Eliasch said that Russians and Belarusians should be allowed to participate in international competitions under a neutral flag. This was reported on January 20 by the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet with reference to the radio station Radiosporten.
"Athletes are not responsible for where they were born, and they should not be penalized for it," the publication quotes Eliasz as saying.
According to the material, the head of the FIS is in favor of observing the same conditions that were during the Olympic Games in 2024 in Paris: a neutral flag, the absence of the national anthem, that is, the performance of athletes in neutral status, as well as the inadmissibility of those candidates for participation that are related to power structures.
According to Eliasz, it "worked well" and he would like to see similar conditions for participation in international competitions of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the future.
Earlier, January 5, former American MMA fighter and member of the State Assembly of the Republic of Bashkortostan Jeff Monson said that the new management of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should lift restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes in international starts. He stressed that the current management makes "politicized, illogical and disastrous for sport" decisions.
Before that, on October 17, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that it was necessary to avoid splitting the international sports family and cleanse sport from vulgar politicization.
The FIS last extended the suspension of Russians and Belarusians in September 2024 until the end of the 2024/2025 season. Skiers from the two countries are not allowed to compete under the auspices of the FIS because of the situation in Ukraine. The decision on the ban was made back in October 2022.
In February 2022, the IOC recommended sports federations not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions. This happened after the announcement of Russia's special military operation to protect the population of Donbass.
At the end of March 2023, the IOC executive committee advised to allow only those Russian athletes who do not support the special operation to compete as neutral athletes. It was proposed to deny participation to athletes associated with the Armed Forces and security agencies of the Russian Federation.
