Russian, Belarusian biathletes to remain barred until special military op is over — IBU

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) will not clear athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international competition until Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine is over, the IBU’s press office said in a statement to TASS on Tuesday.
According to the IBU’s statement, “There is no action to be expected within the next weeks, months or even more as long as” the special military operation continues.
“The IBU Event & Competition rules currently do not provide a rule for neutral athletes,” the statement added.
In late March 2022, the Executive Board of the International Biathlon Union announced the suspension of member sports federations Russia and Belarus. The press office of the world’s governing body of biathlon announced to TASS at that time that biathlon skiers representing Russia and Belarus would have no right to apply to participate in competitions organized by the International Biathlon Union.
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
However, in late March 2023, the IOC recommended to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be “actively supporting” Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status.
Following the publication of the IOC recommendations, the IBU stated that it was unlikely to consider the option of returning athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions, despite the newly proposed norms for them.