FIS Solution & Support from France

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) this week extended the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions held under its auspices. However, in Russia, they did not pay much attention to the next ban.

"The decision of FIS is absolutely expected, we did not expect otherwise. I don't want to think about who exactly influenced the International Ski Federation, but taking into account the fact that this is the IOC policy, FIS could not accept anything else," commented Elena Vyalbe, President of the FLGR.

Abroad, opinions are divided. So, the Swede Lynn Swan said that she has not changed her decision since last year and still does not want to compete with Russian skiers. At the same time, she is not sure that she is ready to refuse to participate in competitions if admission does take place.

"It's easy to say now, in October, that I'm going to boycott. For me, there are no consequences. But if I'm in great shape in November and I want to compete... then I just hope that I will stand up to it courageously, as I do now," the 23-year-old Swede said in a comment to Expressen ahead of the FIS ruling.

And the veteran of the Swedish national team, Kalle Halfvarsson, noted that the admission of the Russians "would be a disaster," especially right before the start of the competition. However, the skier was not going to sacrifice perhaps the final season in his career.

"No, no, I don't have time to boycott any competitions. I will go to Ruka, even if I have to deal with the Russians alone," said the three-time medalist of the world championships.

But in France, they noted that the Scandinavians are too interested in the removal of their main competitors and that is why they are so diligently promoting and supporting sanctions against the Russians. According to Ski-Nordique, these teams are not averse to seeing only Norwegians in the top 6 races of the World Championships.

"Under pressure from the Scandinavian countries – Sweden and Norway – who were happy to share all the podiums and podiums, the International Ski Federation, unfortunately, extended the suspension of Russian skiers in all these disciplines... Like last winter, Bolshunov and company will be content with national races, championships and Spartakiads. Meanwhile, in many sports, the public applauds the feats of athletes from Russia. It is high time to stop this sad political comedy," the publication says.

Rivalry with biathletes

Russian skiers almost do not follow the international agenda and do not expect the situation to change in the foreseeable future. Less than a month is left before the start of the Russian Cup, and the national teams are in the final stages of preparation for the season.

Thus, Egor Sorin's group held a training camp at the Laura Olympic Complex in Sochi, which ended with a joint control training with biathletes from Artem Istomin's team. Athletes covered the distance on roller skis.

"Thank you to the guys from the biathlon team for creating competition for skiers. It's always nice to work with someone from another team, and even more so from another sport. We are waiting for the continuation in February at the Legkov Race," the coach wrote on the group's official Telegram channel.

Sorin also shared his future plans. After enjoying "the last warm day of the year," he said, the group heads northeast. On October 29, his wards will start a run-in, which they will hold in Khanty-Mansiysk. Yury Borodavko's group, which held an October training camp in the Belarusian Raubichi, is already there.

"The most important thing is how well the track is prepared. This is our training camp, adaptation to snow conditions, gradual gain of volume, aerobic and strength training - what is necessary for the start of the season," said the head coach of the national team.

The Return of Terentyeva

Together with the team, Natalia Terentyeva (nee Nepryaeva) arrived in Khanty-Mansiysk. The Olympic champion, as you know, underwent surgery under general anesthesia in early September and dropped out of the training process. Following this, the athlete was also mowed down by illness, which also postponed her return.

Despite rumors that the winner of the 2022 Tour de Ski is going to take a break in her career and go on maternity leave, she still joined her colleagues in the first half of October in Raubichi. There, Natalia trained according to an individual program, mainly conducting aerobic training.

"Natalia Terentyeva has already returned to training. At the training camp in Raubichi, she trained according to a light program. It is possible that in Khanty-Mansiysk he will train fully. We have fully checked all the analyses. There are no contraindications to training. We can say that she has already fully recovered," Borodavko said about the condition of the ward.

  • RIA Novosti
  • © Pavel Bednyakov

A new dive by Stepanova and Vyalbe

Veronika Stepanova remains one of the most controversial figures in Russian skiing. The young athlete won the hearts of fans with a bright finish in the relay race at the Olympics in Beijing, but after that, her name is increasingly associated not with victorious starts, but with all sorts of resonant statements. The media activity of the 22-year-old skier is not approved by the president of the FLGR Elena Vyalbe, who recently said that the texts published on behalf of Stepanova are not written by herself.

"As for Veronica, I don't discuss or read anything, I don't subscribe to her blogs, because 90% of what is written there was not written by her. I know it. But I'm not at the age to keep telling her that it's a distraction from the sport. She will come to this on her own," the three-time Olympic champion said.

Stepanova reacted to Vyalbe's statement immediately and sarcastically. According to the athlete, she only benefits from the "endless discussions" of her work.

"Keep going, don't slow down, don't stop! As for the sports component, the upcoming winter season will put everything in its place. Don't forget to turn on the TV!" wrote Veronika on her Telegram channel.

And in confirmation of her active training, Egor Sorin published a video demonstrating how Veronika jumps up and down the hill with poles.

"PMT or Extreme Muscle Training. The athletes express their deep "gratitude" to Yuri Mikhailovich Kaminsky, who invented and used this training. To be honest, I and a lot of athletes hated it. The first time, I was only able to jump four times at 1:40 and my legs failed, even though I was a functional athlete," Sorin said.