Eight-time Olympic biathlon champion Ole Einar Bjoerndalen said in an interview with the Norwegian television channel VG that he would like to see Russian and Belarusian athletes again as soon as possible in competitions under the auspices of the International Biathlon Union (IBU).
“I hope that the conflicts will end as soon as possible, everything will return to normal and Russian and Belarusian biathletes will have the opportunity to participate in competitions again. For now we must deal with the IBU’s majority-supported position. I think nothing will happen until the hostilities end. The IBU made its position very clear from the very beginning,” said Bjoerndalen.
At the end of February 2022, the IOC issued an appeal to international sports federations, recommending that Russian and Belarusian athletes not be allowed to participate in any competitions due to the situation in Ukraine.
On October 12, the IOC announced the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) until further notice, following the inclusion of the Olympic Councils of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions in the Russian organization.
Vyacheslav Fetisov, formerly a member of the State Duma to create Those responsible for leapfrogging with the Russian flag and anthem.