The story accelerates. Less than a week after the IOC's decision to suspend Russia from the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games, the first Russian athletes took the lead and announced their intention to compete in the Olympic events under neutral flags and colors. They opened the breach. They should quickly be followed up.
The decision was announced for Tuesday, December 12. A meeting is planned for that day in Moscow between representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), sports authorities and winter sports federations. It must adopt a common position on the participation of “neutral” Russian athletes in the PyeongChang Games.
On Sunday, December 10, the ski jumpers preceded the movement. They did not wait for their leaders to decide to apply for the next Winter Games. Dmitry Dubrovsky, the president of the Russian Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Federation, explained this to the agency Tass: the athletes have decided. They will go to South Korea, subject to being declared eligible by the Olympic organization.
“The members of the Russian ski jumping team all got together, they voted unanimously for participation in the Winter Games under a neutral flag,” said Dmitry Dubrovsky. I think their colleagues in the Nordic combined will share the same position, but they have not yet had the opportunity to meet up. The council of our federation has already decided in favor of such participation. We have informed the Association of International Winter Sports Federations of this. »
The Russian leader continued: “Our discipline has nothing to do with politics. We have already obtained support for our approach from national and international federations. In my eyes, competing under the neutral flag will constitute an additional responsibility for our athletes. »
The participation of Russians in the ski jumping events at the PyeongChang Games should not shake up the hierarchy of the discipline. Russia does not weigh very heavily on the springboards. She slipped to a modest 8th place last season in the general ranking of the Nations Cup, far behind the leading trio of Poland, Austria and Germany.
But the unanimous Russian vote opens the door to other Russian athletes. The Nordic combined specialists will follow. Skaters should also adopt the same position. Several other disciplines should do the same. The committee formed by the IOC, and led by Frenchwoman Valérie Fourneyron, will remain to sort out the cohort of applicants for the status of “Olympic athlete from Russia. » Less than 9 weeks before the opening of the Games, the former Minister of Sports and her colleagues will have their work cut out for them.
