Head of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Johan Eliasch spoke in favor of admitting Belarusian and Russian athletes to international competitions, BelTA learned from Sveriges Radio.
In his comments, Johan Eliasch noted that the decision to admit Belarusian and Russian athletes to the Summer Olympics in Paris - no national symbols and no connections to armies, police - could be used as an example for the FIS.
“It worked very well with Belarusian and Russian athletes. It's important to have neutrality in these matters. Athletes are not responsible for where they were born and they should not be caught in the middle,” Johan Eliasch said.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation suspended the Belarusians and Russians from tournaments under its aegis in March 2022. A year later, the International Olympic Committee recommended federations to admit athletes of both countries in a neutral status.
