Last season, the international federation (ISMF) allowed some Russians to compete in the Ski Mountaineering World Cup under a neutral flag.
This was in line with the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris last year, when certain Russian and Belarusian athletes in individual sports were allowed to compete under a neutral flag, provided they had no connection to the Russian military.
The issue is dividing the sports world, and different international sports federations have made different decisions. Tove Alexandersson, also one of the world's best orienteers, thinks it's right that ski mountaineering has welcomed back the Russians.
New OS Sport
I think you should go from individual to individual. The fact that a person is born and raised in Russia doesn't necessarily make them a bad person and that they should be banned from all sports. That's my opinion, says the 32-year-old in an interview with SVT.
Ski mountaineering is a new Olympic sport in Milano and Cortina next year. The IOC has not decided what will apply to Russians and Belarusians then.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that all sports federations stop Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions.
Most federations followed the recommendation, but there were exceptions. For example, tennis.
"Preparing for the OS"
In the Olympic Games in Paris last summer, the IOC allowed Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutrals, provided they met certain criteria. Among other things, that they did not support the war and were not employed by the Russian or Belarusian military or security service. No Russian or Belarusian teams were allowed to participate.
In the end, about 20 athletes from each country were allowed to participate.
Ahead of the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, which begins in less than ten months, there are increasingly more arguments for Russia and Belarus to be welcomed back.
We hope for the best, and are preparing for the OS, said the Russian Ski Federation's chairman Jelena Välbe recently to the Russian TV channel Match TV, according to SVT.
Ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris, the British government reported that nearly 500 Ukrainian athletes had been killed in the war.
