Soviet biathlete Alexander Tikhonov commented on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejecting the appeal of Evgeny Ustyugov and Svetlana Sleptsova in the doping case. His words are instructive “Soviet sport”.
“There is nothing surprising. I had no doubt that this would happen. Accept it and keep quiet – there was proven doping. Ustyugov should have said: “Yes, I’m guilty.” This is not an isolated case, is it? There are about 30 of them,” Tikhonov said.
September 9th CAS Rejected their objection.
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) disqualified Sleptsova and Ustyugov in 2020. Their results from the 2013/2014 season were annulled.
At the end of February 2022, the IOC issued a call to international sports federations, recommending that Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be allowed to participate in any competitions. At the end of 2023, the organization decided to accept Russians and Belarusians as neutral athletes. To participate, they had to meet a number of conditions and qualify.
Former PKR President appreciated Russian Paralympic athletes perform in Paris.