"Foreigners feel that they can and should compete with us"

The attempt to exclude the Russian Bobsleigh Federation (FBI) from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) did not receive the support of the majority of delegates to the organization's congress in Salzburg. This happened against the background of the election of the new president of the IBSF, who became the German Heike Grosswang. The Russian bobsleigh expects that the change of leadership will help to move the issue of athletes returning to international competitions off the ground. Anatoly Pegov, head of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation, told Izvestia about the backstage of the congress, the mood in world bobsleigh and the prospects for lifting restrictions.

— What can you tell us about the candidates?

— All the candidates were quite well known. Two were vice-presidents, one was General Secretary (Grosswang has been General Secretary of the IBSF since 2012, Latvian Martins Dambergs and Spaniard Ander Mirabel are vice-presidents. — Ed.). But whether the choice is good or bad, we can't say right now — we need time and concrete work. Heike is immersed in all the processes. The other candidates also presented decent programs. The entire Congress voted according to quotas. Grosswang is a competent, experienced specialist who is well versed in bobsleigh. Previously, we had constructive work going on. I can't say that we were friends, but I would say that we had a working, clear, and good partnership.

— What would you say about the congress as a whole?

— He was really difficult. I immediately started with the fact that they tried to exclude our federation from IBSF membership. At the opening of the Congress of the Federation, according to the charter, they have the right to put their additional issues on the agenda, and Ukraine has used this right. Fortunately, we found out about it the day before and were able to prepare. We did a lot of work together with FBI Vice President Elena Anikina, we managed to talk to a lot of people and get the result of the vote in our favor (15 voted for, 17 against, three abstained. — Ed.).

On the side of our opponents, there are foreign companies that search for data on social networks, collect information, and receive it from various sources. So this is a serious success. I am glad that the voice of reason prevailed among the delegates of the IBSF Congress.

— Did you communicate with delegates from other countries?

— Yes, communication with representatives of other federations turned out to be constructive. Of course, it is not possible to establish contact with everyone, some do not greet each other. But, for example, we had a great conversation with the President of the Latvian Federation, Ansis Zeltins, smoothly switching from English to Russian and back (laughs). Which I was pleasantly surprised by. I want to express my respect to him.

After the congress, we stopped by coach Willy Schneider, who worked with the Russian national team during Sochi 2014. Alexander Tretyakov won gold with him, and Elena Nikitina won bronze. We had a warm conversation. He sent his regards to our team.

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— Is it realistic to invite foreigners to work with us now?

— I want to tell you that we are considering attracting foreign specialists to the Russian national team in both skeleton and bobsleigh, in case of full access to international starts. But this requires the removal of restrictions. Foreigners feel that it is possible and, most importantly, necessary to compete and win with ours, that bobsleigh and skeleton are alive, that we have the desire and character. They were, one might say, shocked — in a good way — by the level of our Russian championship, the level of our broadcasts.

— Is the appearance of the German Grosswang at the head of the federation good news for Russia?

— We know Ms. Grosswang well, she has been working as Secretary General for the last 7-8 years, is immersed in the bobsleigh topic, and is a competent specialist. We will work. I would like to hope for cooperation. I think she was the most worthy candidate. Former President Ivo Ferriani has been elected honorary president, and I have received his consent to attend the Russian Cup in Sochi in November 2026.

The main problem for the IBSF now is the sponsor. There is information that the organization has only $60 thousand in its account. She actually lives at the expense of the IOC. A contract was allegedly signed, but the name of the company was not revealed to us. The Federation would like to solve this problem now...

— It's time for Russian business to get involved.

— Unfortunately, we are currently limited. As it is, we would love to, I think, to find someone willing.

— Is there an understanding that Russian athletes will compete next season?

— At the moment, the same neutral status program is in effect, which was applied in the 2025/26 season in accordance with the recommendations of the IOC. I think things will change for the better soon (smiles). But we must wait for the meeting of the executive committee, which has been significantly updated, and the formation of new IBSF bodies. I have a serious reason for optimism.