Russia Included in International Skiing Doping Testing Pool: What Does This Mean for the Future of Russian Skiers?

2024-01-11 16:44:19

Immediately 19 Russians were included in the doping testing pool of the International Federation. There are even fewer Norwegians!

Alexander Bolshunov and Johannes Klebo / Photo: © Russian Ski Federation / Federico Modica / NordicFocus / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Everyone is already pretty tired of talking regarding how much world skiing is losing without Russia. This is the pure truth, which is not disputed even in Europe. Another thing is that until recently such promises led to absolutely nothing – our skiers were not going to be returned to the World Cup.

However, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) seems to have run out of patience. And now the admission of Russians may happen much earlier than one might imagine.

Natalia Terentyeva / Photo: © Dmitry Chelyapin / Match TV

What did FIS do?

For almost two years now, Russian skiers have been banned from participating in international competitions. Watching the World Cup races and the Tour de Ski has become frankly uninteresting, as many participants in these races say. However, the Norwegians would not be Norwegians if, even in such a situation, they did not look for the causes of all the troubles in Russia.

About a year ago, the Norwegian media raised the question of how well our skiers were tested for doping during the isolation period. The hint was clear. If Russia is suspended, it means all the athletes immediately ran to dope on an industrial scale. True, none of the local journalists explained why to use illegal drugs when you are not allowed anywhere anyway.

In addition, Russian athletes continued to remain in both the Russian and international testing pools. Now the situation has become even more interesting. According to TASS, FIS included 19 of our skiers and only 18 of Norwegian ones on the regulated list of doping tests. Almost all of Russia’s leading athletes ended up there, including Alexander Bolshunov, Sergei Ustyugov and Natalya Terentyeva. Only Veronica Stepanova is not there.

Alexander Bolshunov / Photo: © Denis Bushkovsky / Match TV

A clear hint at the return of Russia

The most interesting thing regarding these statistics is that the International Ski Federation will test more Russians than Norwegians. And this is during the period of total isolation of our skis and the dominance of the Scandinavians at the World Cup! At first glance, this may seem something strange, bordering on outright stupidity. Why test athletes who do not compete internationally?

In fact, the mechanism is somewhat more complex and cunning. Apparently, the FIS saw the prospect that Russian skiers would return to the World Cup in the foreseeable future. And they want to make sure that Bolshunov and the company did not do anything illegal while competing at domestic competitions. This is a clear signal that Russia has probably also heard.

We’re not talking regarding a potential return this season, of course. But the beginning of the next one may well become that very date. Moreover, it will be pre-Olympic. At the Milan Games, world skiing definitely needs maximum competition to report to sponsors and let them know that this sport is still alive and can breathe on its own. Without Russia this is absolutely impossible. But in order to compete at the 2026 Olympics in full force and compete with the Norwegians, our skiers must first qualify there. So it turns out that FIS, through the doping pool, hinted at the return of the Russians. There’s not much longer to wait.

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