MOSCOW, September 16 – RIA Novosti. The Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) sent a letter to the International Biathlon Union (IBU), demanding that Russian athletes be allowed to participate in competitions and that their performances against the organization’s principles be banned, informs NRK

The IBU Executive Board announced on 16 August that it recommended to the IBU Congress that the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes be approved until further notice. Congress will consider the proposals at its meeting in Salzburg on Friday.

The organization points out that the participation of the RBU and Russian athletes does not pose any threat to the safety of activities or competitions, that the RBU does not violate the laws of the International Biathlon Union and promotes its values ​​without adversely affecting its image. organization or biathlon itself. The RBU also states that it is not responsible for the situation in Ukraine and that Ukrainian athletes are not deprived of the opportunity to participate in tournaments. Furthermore, the organization believes that suspending the activities of the RRF would be a disproportionate punishment.

Previously, the IBU suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions under its auspices against the situation in Ukraine, and suspended the membership of the RBU and the Belarusian Biathlon Federation (BFB). These decisions were taken in line with the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).