we should not expect action to return Russians in the coming months – RT in Russian

“At the IBU Congress in September 2024 in Belgrade, this issue was not even considered. In this regard, no action should be expected in the coming weeks, months or even longer on the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes. Something can change only after the end of the SVO, and also after the federations in Russia and Belarus fulfill the specified conditions. At the moment, IBU rules do not provide for the admission of neutral athletes,” quotes Winkler “VseProSport”.

According to him, the status of this issue has not changed since the 2022 IBU Congress, at which it was decided to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from competitions. As Winkler notes, this was done to ensure the security and integrity of the tournaments.

As the head of the communications department emphasized, the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) will be deprived of membership until it “demonstrates its full commitment to supporting and promoting the goals and principles of the IBU.

“One of the most important criteria is to distance oneself from the military forces in Ukraine; no officials or athletes should be actively involved in the Russian armed forces and should not take any part in what is happening,” Winkler said.

Previously, President of the Russian Biathlon Union Viktor Maigurov expressed hopefor admission of Russians to the 2026 Olympic Games.