MOSCOW, August 31, Sergey Smyshlyaev. Head of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (FLGR) ) Elena Vyalbe said that she agrees with the opinion of the five-time Olympic champion Norwegian Johannes Klebo, who supports the decision to return Russian skiers to the international arena. Earlier, Klebo said that Russian skiers should be allowed to participate in international competitions «for the common good», since he «always wants compete with the best.» Prior to this, the Norwegian skier has stated several times that the decision to suspend Russian skiers was the right one. «I believe that the sport will only lose with the suspension of Russian athletes, especially in those sports where the Russians compete with the leaders or are generally world leaders, such as in synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics. Athletes simply need to compete with the strongest! I am sure that the TV picture without leaders will no longer be so attractive, and fans will not be happy to attend competitions! Therefore, I agree with Klebo, Russia should be represented on the international arena! It is a pity that (the head of the IOC) Thomas Bach forgot or did not know that sport has always united countries and people and has been out of politics,» Vyalbe said. At the end of February, the International Ski Federation (FIS) suspended Russian athletes from international competitions under its auspices because of the events in Ukraine. This decision was open-ended until further notice while it remains in effect.
