MOSCOW, Oct. 10 Sergey Burlakov, Deputy Head of the Duma Sports Committee, said that Swedish skiers Lynn Swan and Maya Dahlqvist, who announced their readiness to boycott the 2023 World Championships, should go in for sports, not politics. Swan and Dahlquist announced their readiness to boycott the 2023 World Championships in Planica if athletes from Russia and Belarus are allowed to international competitions .
"I would like to give advice to Swedish skiers: girls, go in for sports, because politics is clearly not your forte. You state that sport and politics are connected. Where are such conclusions from? Your words contradict all sports postulates and the Olympic Charter, which you should quote first of all", — said Burlakov.
According to the parliamentarian, «to boycott the Russians now for many athletes is another reason to remind myself.» «Me sad that athletes think not about their training, not about their achievements, but about their rivals,» he said. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) at the end of February suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions due to events on Ukraine. The decision was open-ended as long as it remains in effect and is due to be reviewed by the FIS Council on 22 October. Earlier, FIS Secretary General Michel Vion said that the organization is considering the possibility of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions under a neutral flag.