Russophobia! A Duma deputy caused a stir over the exclusion of Russian biathletes from the Olympics.

According to inkorr.com: The famous State Duma deputy of Russia and Olympic champion Svyatlana Zhurova stated that the decision of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) regarding Russian biathletes is of a Russophobic nature. This was reported by 'Glavkom'.

The IBU has excluded the possibility of participation for neutral athletes, including Russians and Belarusians, in the qualification competitions for the 2026 Olympic Games.

“In my understanding, the IBU rushed, as the IOC executive committee meeting has not yet taken place. Perhaps, there could be better decisions regarding our athletes there. On the other hand, the IBU can say: 'What does the IOC mean to us? We live our own lives, we make decisions as we want!' It is strange that even neutral athletes from Russia will not be able to participate in the Olympic Games.

These organizations can make their own decisions. The IOC may express a desire to see Russian biathletes at the Olympics, but the IBU has the right to decide whether to allow them to the World Cup. Thus, these athletes may have the opportunity to visit the Olympics but will not be able to qualify for them. Federations can interpret the IOC's recommendations differently.

New data regarding Russian athletes

Recall that the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published new data on the War&Sanctions portal in the section 'Champions of Terror' about Russian athletes who support the war.

The list included information about eight more Russian athletes and officials who are advocating for the war. The basis for their inclusion in the list was materials from 'Glavkom'.

• Russian wrestlers Zaur Ugoev, Abulrashid Sadulaev, and Zaurbek Sidakov;
• Angelina Melnikova;
• Pavel Rozhkov;

Also included in the list were Inal Tasoev, Dinara Kudaeva, and Emin Sefershaev.

The emergence of new data about Russian athletes who support the war highlights the aggravation of the problem of the politicization of sport and the mixing of sports achievements with criminal actions or views. This provokes outrage and discussions in the sports world and may affect the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions.