ISU Statement on Russia's war against Ukraine - Participation in international competitions of Skaters and Officials from Russia and Belarus

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IOC's United Nations adviser provokes anger by saying Russian soldiers could compete at Paris 2024​

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IOC’s United Nations adviser says Russian soldiers should compete at Paris 2024

A United Nations expert advising the International Olympic Committee has provoked outrage by claiming that Russian soldiers who have fought in Ukraine...
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A United Nations expert advising the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provoked outrage by claiming that Russian soldiers who have fought in Ukraine should be allowed to appear at Paris 2024.
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This lady is amazing. First, an athlete can kill in Ukraine, and then go to Paris and compete with Ukrainian athletes. Because he has rights. Ukrainian athletes probably do not have these rights.
And it is this lady that the IOC listens to. Why am I not surprised?
 
Following this request, the IOC EB today issues to IFs and international sports event organisers the following recommendations:


  1. Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes.
  2. Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered.
  3. Athletes who actively support the war cannot compete. Support personnel who actively support the war cannot be entered.
  4. Athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete. Support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot be entered.
  5. Any such Individual Neutral Athlete, like all the other participating athletes, must meet all anti-doping requirements applicable to them and particularly those set out in the anti-doping rules of the IFs.
  6. The sanctions against those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, must remain in place:

    1. No international sports events organised or supported by an IF or NOC in Russia or Belarus.
    2. No flag, anthem, colours or any other identifications whatsoever of these countries displayed at any sports event or meeting, including the entire venue.
    3. No Russian and Belarusian government or state official can be invited to or accredited for any international sports event or meeting.
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How are they enforcing 3.?
 
On My Own said:
Following this request, the IOC EB today issues to IFs and international sports event organisers the following recommendations:
  1. Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes.
  2. Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered.
  3. Athletes who actively support the war cannot compete. Support personnel who actively support the war cannot be entered.
  4. Athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete. Support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot be entered.
  5. Any such Individual Neutral Athlete, like all the other participating athletes, must meet all anti-doping requirements applicable to them and particularly those set out in the anti-doping rules of the IFs.
  6. The sanctions against those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, must remain in place:
    1. No international sports events organised or supported by an IF or NOC in Russia or Belarus.
    2. No flag, anthem, colours or any other identifications whatsoever of these countries displayed at any sports event or meeting, including the entire venue.
    3. No Russian and Belarusian government or state official can be invited to or accredited for any international sports event or meeting.
How are they enforcing 3.?
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How does #2 work with regard to figure skating? No pairs or ice dance teams?

#3 would rule out Trusova, Valieva, Mishina/Galliamov, Tarasova/Morozov, Sinitsina/Katsalapov, and Kondratiuk for sure.

#4 takes out any and all skaters who train at the clubs affiliated with the Russian army - does Russia try to get around this by suddenly changing the club names/obvious sources of funding?

ETA - also, if they're not representing Russia or Belarus but as Individual Neutral Athletes, does that mean those federations aren't earning any quota spots for future events?
 
Karen-W said:
#4 takes out any and all skaters who train at the clubs affiliated with the Russian army - does Russia try to get around this by suddenly changing the club names/obvious sources of funding?
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I am sure that russia will be able to prove that CSKA is just a sports club. Only those who officially work for the army can have problems. But russia will simply hide this information and there will be no problems.
 
Karen-W said:
ETA - also, if they're not representing Russia or Belarus but as Individual Neutral Athletes, does that mean those federations aren't earning any quota spots for future events?
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I think we all know Russians will participate as Russians in the qualifications, earn spots for Russia, then change the name to "Individual Neutral Athletes" for the Olympics.
 
Karen-W said:
ETA - also, if they're not representing Russia or Belarus but as Individual Neutral Athletes, does that mean those federations aren't earning any quota spots for future events?
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I think it's about team sports. For example, volleyball. Because they cannot compete individually, but only as a team.
 
On My Own said:
I think we all know Russians will participate as Russians in the qualifications, earn spots for Russia, then change the name to "Individual Neutral Athletes" for the Olympics.
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That is not the recommendation the IOC is making though. It states very clearly that they are NOT competing for Russia or Belarus but as INAs. And teams are not allowed. I don't see how they're able to earn quota spots for their country in that scenario.

It's going to be interesting to see how the ISU handles this...

Theoretically, there won't be more than 2 INAs from Belarus and Russia entered on the JGP in either men or women, and no pairs/dance teams, but that won't prevent INAs from being entered at Challengers where they can earn TES mins and get on the SB list for the 2024-25 season's GP assignments. But, there also shouldn't be more than 1 INA from either country entered at Euros, Jr Worlds and Worlds, so how do you select who gets that spot? The male or female who has the highest SB?

For the coming GP season - the updated WS that get published at the end of June will wipe out most of the Russians still on it. My projection shows no Men, and the following skaters in the other disciplines: Shcherbakova, Valieva, Tarasova/Morozov, Mishina/Galliamov, and Sinitsina/Katsalapov. Of those skaters, it wouldn't be hard to deny entry, based on #3, for all but Shcherbakova. And, she's clearly not going to come back and tarnish her Olympic title by possibly losing.
 
airgelaal said:
I think it's about team sports. For example, volleyball. Because they cannot compete individually, but only as a team.
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I get what you're saying, but the logic here is "they aren't representing Russia or Belarus, but instead competing individually", so how could those individually participating athletes earn additional spots for any country? They can't.
 
Am I crazy to hope, just hope, that the ISU still doesn't give them the green light to compete? It just doesn't seem right. Then again there was a whole delegation of Russian coaches at worlds so it's not like I trust the ISU to make the right decision. Also, they're all getting heavily, if not fully, funded by the government, army club or not, so how exactly are they neutral?
 
Karen-W said:
I get what you're saying, but the logic here is "they aren't representing Russia or Belarus, but instead competing individually", so how could those individually participating athletes earn additional spots for any country? They can't.
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Logically, you have to be correct about this. If a Russian skater competed as an INA at Worlds next year and finished second, that doesn’t mean Russia could send three “neutral” athletes the following year. If they’re not representing a member federation, they can’t earn spots for a member federation.

I don’t know for sure how pairs and dance teams would be treated, but I’m inclined to guess they could be allowed anyway since it’s not really the same situation as a country fielding a team in other sports. RUS/BLR would certainly not be eligible for any team FS events, though.

As for the rest of the rules, how they would be enforced and the implications for many of the Russian skaters… we’ll probably find out.

Anyone know offhand what kind of rules the ISU currently has on the books for athletes not representing a member federation in ISU events? I’m guessing there’s some mechanism for it in theory, but I don’t recall ever seeing it happen.
 
I wrote an email to the IOC pointing out my thoughts (I was polite ⚜️ even though it was hard) _ I urge you all to do the same. In the end they are damaging the Olympics as well which is a pity - I always enjoyed the Olympics but now they leave a sour taste in my mouth.
 
But this season was so nice and peaceful, why bring them back, whyyyyyyy :wuzrobbed

If the ISU was to follow the IOC’s recommendations to the letter, would any Russians appear at Worlds and Euros next season? I really don’t want 3 new malnourished teenagers I’ve never heard of to get propelled to the women’s podium by fake quads and bribes.
 
Holy Headband said:
But this season was so nice and peaceful, why bring them back, whyyyyyyy :wuzrobbed

If the ISU was to follow the IOC’s recommendations to the letter, would any Russians appear at Worlds and Euros next season? I really don’t want 3 new malnourished teenagers I’ve never heard of to get propelled to the women’s podium by fake quads and bribes.
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They'd all have to start at one entry, I'm sure. I don't know why an exception would be made.
 
The relevant language is under Rule 109, which is the infamous part of the ISU Constitution that discusses clearance permits.

1. Entry through ISU Member​



ISU Championships, ISU Events and International Competitions, listed in Rule 100, paragraph 3, and Rule 107, paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, may be entered only by Competitors who are members of an ISU Member. The entry can be made only through that ISU Member. For participation in Olympic Winter Games and Winter Youth Olympic Games, Rule 126 respectively the provisions of the Olympic Charter and its Bye-Laws apply."​

All of those paragraphs describe ISU sanctioned competitions. Rule 126 discusses how long athletes can last have participated in championships for the prior country in order to compete in the Olympics for the new country.

However, as usual, they contradict themselves in #5:

5. Waiver of Requirements​
If special circumstances so warrant the Council may waive the citizenship/residency or the permit requirement and/or the waiting periods according to paragraphs 2.a) and c) above.​
​
In exceptional cases the Council itself may enter a Competitor for a specific event. A Competitor entered by the ISU does not count in the quota of the country of his citizenship or residence.​

So the ISU Council can enter any athletes it wants, regardless of the qualification rules for those competitions, aside from where the IOC rules are more restrictive.

Rule 130 for entries into World Championships, the ISU refers back to #5 and #6, which allows them to reject country changes if they feel the skaters are ringers. Considering that they let skaters/teams skate for countries they've never visited, including teams where neither has ties to that country, it's just words.

1. World Championships​
Participation in World Championships is open to all Skaters who belong to an ISU Member (for exceptions see Rule 109, paragraphs 5 and 6) and fulfill the minimum Technical Requirements as stated in the respective Special Regulations and/or in the Technical Rules.​

So regardless of the qualification rules for the next WC's based on the current results, the ISU Council can add skaters at their will. If they want to add three skaters who competed for Russia into each discipline, they can.
 
How long a way I came from enjoying Russian skaters a lot and bemoaning the fact they had only three entries so I would miss some skaters (like now for Japan in men and women) to the fact that I feel like vomiting if even one Putin marionette is allowed into an arena.
 
Lanie said:
Not only considering the horrors of the invasion of Ukraine and the support of athletes of the Putin regime, why the hell do we want athletes that are doping freely back in our sports?
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That is an added benefit. And not to see as many starved and broken children. But lets not kid ourselves- Russian doping has always been overlooked.
Punishment is only for the likes of Laura Barquero.

To think that I actually felt sorry for Stolbova Klimov and Bukin back in the day and thought that they had been dealt a bad luck card…
 
Troll post from me incoming:

I just watched the latest performance of Plush Jr. aka Gnom Gnomych.
I wish that he could take part in the Junior GP 3 years from now, just to get the entire Plushenko-clan disillusioned that their kid is the future champion of everything.
It would be extra funny if a skater from Ukraine beat Mini-Plush.
 
Hedwig said:
To think that I actually felt sorry for Stolbova Klimov and Bukin back in the day and thought that they had been dealt a bad luck card…
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We still don't know why they had been banned. They were all of age and it would've been no problem to publish the reasons. But this never happened.
 
www.instagram.com

Anna Pogorilaya-Nevskaia on Instagram: "Подведём итоги ЧМ 2023 года: 1. Японцы в мире теперь лучшие?? 2. Без наших скучно? Да мужской вид в мире пока впереди, но в остальном безумно обидно. И вообще, как думаете без наших, это считается чемпионат

725 likes, 24 comments - nevskaya_pogorilaya on March 28, 2023: "Подведём итоги ЧМ 2023 года: 1. Японцы в мире теперь лучшие?? 2. Без наших скучно? Да мужской вид в мире пока впереди, но в остальном безумно обидно. И вообще, как думаете без наших, это считается чемпионатом мира? ?".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

Pogorilaya says it's boring without Russian skaters, and asks her followers if Worlds can even be considered a World 'Championship' without Russian skaters involved.

For as much as the Russian skaters don't care and will make their own Grand Prix series and show circuit to counter the ISU events, they sure do care about getting back into the 'Championships'-- and Pogorilaya being a has-been means nothing.. many of her current counterparts more-or-less state the same.
 
To me Pogorilaya represents not only a typical Russian athlete but a typical Russian citizen, who lacks a sense of awareness that they as a society allowed a murderous dictator stay in power long enough for him to start an aggressive war, which is why they’re being banned/sanctioned. They either pretend the war has nothing to do with them or openly support it. As long as that’s their point of view, they don’t belong on the world stage, be it Olympics or any other event.
 
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