IBU Congress may brush aside reinstatement of Russian Biathlon Federation’s full rights

The Executive Board of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) is likely to take the topic of reinstating the full rights of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) with the global organization off the table, a source in the IBU told TASS on Thursday.

The Croatian city of Porec is hosting on September 6-9 the IBU Congress and the reinstatement of Russia’s right with the international biathlon organization was one of the issues on the agenda of the global meeting.

"A session of the IBU Executive Board is currently underway in Porec and its participants are drafting in particular an agenda for tomorrow’s session," the source said. "It is possible that the issue of the RBU’s rights reinstatement may be excluded from the agenda after new doping abuse cases involving Russian biathletes emerged recently."

"If this will be the case, then the issue of the RBU rights reinstatement will be dealt with only after the end of the investigation [into new doping allegations]," the source added.

The International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced on August 30 that four Russian biathlon athletes were allegedly involved in violations of anti-doping regulations, but did not disclose the names.

According to TASS information, the athletes at the issue are Olympic Champion Svetlana Sleptsova, Olympic Champion Yevgeny Ustyugov, European Champion Alexander Pechenkin and World Youth Champion Alexander Chernyshov.

Commenting on the situation, RBU First Vice President Viktor Maigurov told TASS that officials from the Russian Biathlon Union would be still unable to run for executive posts with the IBU even if the RBU was reinstated in its rights.

"Even if this issue [of full rights reinstatement] is settled in our favor, Russia will only be granted the right to vote [in the IBU]," Maigurov said in an interview with TASS. "There will be nothing more. There will be no chance of submitting our candidacies at the current Congress."

In December 2017, the IBU Executive Board made a decision to limit the rights of the RBU with the international organization. The RBU was in particular stripped of the right to vote at the IBU Congresses and nominate its candidates for the executive posts in the global organization.

RBU President Vladimir Drachev is heading a national delegation at the IBU Congress, which is held in Croatia’s Porec on September 6-9. Russian biathlete and coach Alexander Privalov and two-time Olympic champion in biathlon Viktor Mamatov are also on the delegation’s list.