MOSCOW, 17 Mar. Three-time Olympic champion, Norwegian biathlete Tarjei Boe spoke about the removal of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions due to the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine. «I think this is the right decision. We, as the world of sports, must also somehow show that we take what is happening seriously. Although we are not politicians, this is an important part of communication and the entertainment industry. The best means of pressure is to take a specific position, «Dagbladet quotes the words of the Norwegian. On Thursday, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced the start of the procedure suspension of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) and the Belarusian Biathlon Federation with immediate effect. The suspension will be subject to regular review by the Executive Board and will last until the next IBU Congress in September 2022. Both national federations have seven days to react. After this period, the executive committee will make a final decision on suspension of membership. Earlier, the executive committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete due to the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine. After that, the IBU suspended the Russian athletes from participating in the competition. The RBU said they would defend the rights of athletes in court.
