MOSCOW, June 13 President of the Lithuanian Skating Union Vytautas Jasutis said which welcomes the decision not to allow Russian and Belarusian skaters to compete.
On Monday, the International Skating Union (ISU) announced that the European Figure Skating Championships will be held in Kaunas, Lithuania from 8 to 14 January 2024. Initially, the competition was supposed to be held in Budapest, but in May the Hungarian side abandoned the organization due to lack of funding due to higher energy prices amid the conflict in Ukraine.
“At the ISU meeting, the first issue discussed was the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee on the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus. The ISU voted unanimously against this. They are monitoring the situation. For example, the fact is that one of the strongest countries in this sport was suspended.To some extent, this damages the budget of the international union, to some extent, the level of individual disciplines has fallen.But there is no desire to let them in.We strongly welcome this is the solution,» Jasutis is quoted by 15min.lt.
Earlier it became known that the sanctions against Russia and the absence of Russian athletes at ISU competitions led to the fact that there was practically no income from advertising and media rights from Russia. The ISU said losses of about CHF 1 million would be reflected in the 2023 report.
On Sunday, the ISU Board decided to study the feasibility of implementing the IOC recommendations on the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in a neutral status. The ISU Council upheld the removal of Russians and Belarusians. The issue of the possible return of Russians and Belarusians will be discussed in October.