Russia – FasterSkier

So, You’re Telling Me There’s A Chance?—Russia, FIS, and the Court of Arbitration

John TeafordNovember 10, 2025

A recently published Langrenn story reported on the possibility that FIS may be forced to reconsider its recent ruling an Russian and Belarusian eligibility for participating in Period 1 of the 2025-2026 World Cup season. According to those reports, Russian athletes and para athletes—and the Russian Ski Federation—filed a law suit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) seeking to overturn the recent FIS decision to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from events...

Feature News Olympics World Cup

FIS Ruling: Russia is Out

John TeafordOctober 22, 2025

It’s a funny time we live in . . . one in which many of us struggle with harboring multiple opinions on particular topics (especially political ones). That’s me when it comes to whether or not Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to enter the Olympic Games . . . multiple opinions make sense, and no easy or straightforward decisions seem likely. One thing’s for sure: when it comes to those decisions, someone’s going...

Feature News Olympics

Russian Rule-ette

John TeafordApril 14, 2025

During the ancient Olympics, the Greeks practiced ékécheiria: an Olympic truce, a temporary peace during which wars would pause, combatants would lay down their arms, and athletes competed peacefully and nobly in Olympic contests. The Olympic Games would literally stop wars, the violence and aggression and acrimony of the battlefield replaced with the spirit of the Games. We’re reminded of that notable history during every modern Olympic broadcast, and we’re certain to be reminded of...

Feature News World Cup

The Russia Question: Federations and Athletes Divided on Russian Return

Stuart HardenMarch 16, 2025

TRONDHEIM, NORWAY — On the eve of the first race at the Nordic World Ski Championships, an anonymous source told Swedish national broadcaster SVT that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has urged both the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) to allow Russian and Belarussian athletes to return to international competition in time for the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy. IBU President Olle Dahlin confirmed to SVT that the IOC is...

News Para Nordic

Russia and Belarus suspended at IPC Extraordinary General Assembly

FasterSkierNovember 17, 2022

At an Extraordinary General Assembly in Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday (16 November 2022), International Paralympic Committee (IPC) member organisations voted to suspend the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) of Russia and Belarus. The decision by IPC members to suspend NPC Russia and NPC Belarus stems from their inability to comply with their membership obligations under the IPC Constitution. This includes the obligations to ‘ensure that, in Para sport within the Paralympic Movement, the spirit of fair...