"It can't be": the international federation put the Russians in their place after the Olympic champion was allowed to race in Italy

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) will not take into account the experience with the admission of Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov to the race in Italy in the issue of the return of Russians. The officials noted that the Saison Alma race was held in a private format.

This was stated by the FIS in response to a request from the TASS news agency. For Bolshunov, participation in the international race in Italy was the first in the last three years. The Russian won the 30-kilometer race, and afterward he faced protests in support of Ukraine.

"This was a private event, not an FIS-sanctioned competition. Thus, there can be no such thing as a "precedent" given that this event is not governed by FIS rules and regulations," the FIS said.

It is worth noting that skiers Lorenzo Buzyn and Malin Bjeresch appeared with the flag of Ukraine on their sleeves during the awarding ceremonies held in Saiser Alma. This caused a real hysteria in the Russian Federation.

As a reminder, Bolshunov, who is a three-time champion of Beijing 2022, was a participant of the Z-concert in Luzhniki.

As OBOZ.UA reported, Olympic speed skating champion Svetlana Zhurova called the display of the Ukrainian flag at the Moonlight Classic ski marathon disrespectful to Russians.

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