MOSCOW, Oct 11, Sergey Fuks.The Minister of Sports of Russia Oleg Matytsin called the statements of Swedish skiers about a possible boycott of international tournaments due to the admission of Russians to them absolutely unacceptable and discriminatory. Earlier, Swedish skiers Lynn Swan and Maya Dahlqvist announced their readiness to boycott the 2023 World Championships in Planica in case of admission to international competitions athletes from Russia and Belarus. It was reported that Frida Karlsson was also ready to join the boycott. «As usual, I do not comment on the statements of individual representatives. Especially since these are statements by unofficial persons, not bodies. Absolutely unacceptable statements that discriminate against our athletes. We hear some positive statements about that sports cannot develop without Russia. Next year is very important, there will be selection for the Olympics in the vast majority of sports. Much depends on the position of the IOC, which remains unchanged for now. Our task is to make sure that the international sports community consolidates and upholds the principles that and not the conjuncture of political trends,» Matytsin told reporters following a meeting of the Russian State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) at the end of February suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions due to events in 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 was considering the possibility of admitting Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions under a neutral flag. that after the announcement of partial mobilization in Russia and referendums in the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, the issue of granting neutral status to Russian athletes was actually removed from the FIS agenda. The Norwegian Ski Association withdrew its representatives from participating in the meeting with the FIS leadership due to the participation of the Russian side in it.
