US and Czech biathlon competitors are to snub the World Cup final next month in Russia in protest against Russia’s doping affairs, team officials from both nations announced on Friday.
“The International Biathlon Union’s [IBU] recent decision to move forward with the World Cup Final in Tyumen, Russia, is completely unacceptable,” USA Biathlon said in a statement. “In support of clean sport and our own physical safety, we cannot in good conscience participate.”
Earlier this month, the IBU confirmed the event would take place as scheduled from March 20 to March 25 “after taking into consideration all aspects regarding IBU sanctioned events in Russia.”
Tyumen was picked to host the 2021 biathlon world championships, but the IBU pulled the hosting rights last year.
“We think Russia should not host international events, given the current situation,” said Jiri Hamza, head of the Czech Biathlon Union, quoted by the iDNES Web site.
“We have taken a certain stance, with some sacrifices, and it would be wrong to give it up now,” Hamza told Czech reporters at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea. “If you are convinced something is not right, you should keep that stance.”
The US cited threats against athletes from other nations in snubbing the event.
“With Russia still out of compliance with the WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] Code, with threats of physical harm to athletes who travel to Russia, with six athletes already sanctioned by IBU and the IOC [International Olympic Committee] from the 2014 Olympic season and another case awaiting a decision, holding the World Cup Final in Russia now sends an outrageous message of anti-doping indifference to the world,” the US team said.
Biathlon World Championships 20km individual champion Lowell Bailey of the US ripped the IBU among others for slow and inadequate response to systemic Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia.
He has called for Russia to be stripped of the World Cup final.
“It’s clear to me our sport is not completely clean and that doesn’t live up to the Olympic ideal,” Bailey said.
Russia was banned from the Pyeongchang Olympics over Sochi doping although some Russians are competing as “Olympic Athletes from Russia” under a neutral flag.
The country’s anti-doping body, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency [RUSADA], was declared non-compliant with the world anti-doping code in November 2015.
USA Biathlon said it supported clean Russian athletes competing and Russia host future IBU events “but only after they have shown a meaningful commitment to rectifying the doping culture which has been shown to exist there.”
The IBU said it had “decided on the schedule for the 2017/2018 season prior to RUSADA’s non-compliance.”
France, another fierce critic, will go to Russia for the event.
“I have asked [French biathlon star] Martin Fourcade if he’s going and he told me he had to because he is seeking the [overall] World Cup win,” Hamza said.
Czech biathletes, who have won a silver and a bronze at this year’s Games, might lose their quota — currently five women and five men — for next year’s World Cup when they snub the final event and hence lose points, head coach Ondrej Rybar said.
“But if everyone closes their eyes, you will never change anything,” he added.
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