MOSCOW, May 11. 2022 Olympic relay champion Norwegian biathlete Vetle Shostad Christiansen refused the offer of Russian skier Veronika Stepanova to give him a bear from Kamchatka, Dagbladet reports. Earlier, Stepanova published a post with a photo of the Norwegian on her Telegram channel. On it, he was wearing a T-shirt with the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Stepanova promised to find the biathlete «a good sledding bear in Kamchatka.» «This is a bit of a childish answer, it's hard to take it seriously. Firstly, getting there (to Kamchatka) is quite difficult. There used to be a race there. Probably, it won't happen in the near future. I am forced to refuse the offer,» Christiansen said. The confrontation in absentia of the athletes began after Stepanova's speech at the state awards ceremony in the Kremlin's Catherine Hall. The Russian woman said she was proud of what the country has achieved in recent years. Christiansen admitted that he was shocked by the words of the skier.
