Alexander Putsko, coach of the Ukrainian cross-country ski team, announced the national team’s unexpected decision to withdraw at full strength from the fourth stage of the Tour de Ski stage race in Toblach, Italy. His words lead the way mountainbladet.
“We refused to participate in the Tour de Ski because we decided to change our competition plans. This is the coach’s decision. We set off before the race started. It was probably worth informing the organizers about this. “We apologize,” Putsko said.
The Tour de Ski (TdS) is a multi-day ski race under the auspices of the International Ski Federation. The Ukrainians abandoned the race in the fourth stage. The team consists of five people: Andrey Dotsenko, Denis Mukhotinov, Victoria Oleh, Sofia Shkatula and Anastasia Nikon. The team did not participate in races for two days in a row, and the reason for this is unknown – race director Michal Lamplot said that athletes were not warned to refuse to participate in the competition.
On September 27, it was learned that the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) extended the suspension of Russian athletes from 2022. Russian skiers could not complete the 2021/22 international season.
At the end of February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) appealed to international sports federations, recommending that Russian and Belarusian athletes not be allowed to participate in any competitions. The organization decided to accept Russians and Belarusians as neutral athletes in the 2024 Summer Olympics at the end of 2023. In total, 15 people from Russia went to the Games in Paris.
Previously Swedish skier Kalle Halfvarsson statedThat the Tour de Ski becomes boring without the Russians.
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Source: Gazeta
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.