Russian and Belarusian biathletes are not allowed to compete in the World Cup. The Russian Biathlon Federation is also not allowed to organize international competitions as they are members of the IBU (International Biathlon Union).
That's why the Belarusian Biathlon Club and the Moscow Regional Biathlon Club have joined forces and created a new cup, where they organize international competitions. Since these associations are not part of the IBU, they have the right to invite clubs and athletes from any country – including Sweden.
One person who was used in the marketing for the launch of the cup was the 2015 world champion in distance, Ekaterina Jurlova-Percht. The Russian star herself was told this by the news agency Tass, which led her to direct great criticism in a post on Instagram:
"I would like to state that I did not receive invitations from the organisers of the event, and furthermore I did not give my consent to participate in it."
The biathletes will represent their club and the prize pool for each competition is almost one million Swedish kronor (about 120,000 SEK for victory).
Jurlova-Percht writes that she is waiting for explanations from the people who distributed the information where her name is used to promote the competition.
"I am very upset that my name is being used without my knowledge, which damages my reputation."
The first competition is scheduled for November 18-19 in the former World Championships venue Khanty-Mansiysk, where 40 men and 25 women will start.