Daily Times

STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s Olympic biathlon champion Sebastian Samuelsson has told media he will boycott the final World Cup event of the year in Russia over continuing concerns about the country’s anti-doping record. The 20-year-old, who won Olympic gold in the team relay and silver in the 12.5km pursuit, said he does not want to return to Russia until the country’s anti-doping agency RUSADA has been given the green light by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). “As soon as RUSADA has been approved again by WADA, there’s no problem having competition there,” Samuelsson said. “I believe it’s possible, but they have to look at themselves, realise what they have done and really want to solve the problem. My understanding at the moment is that they don’t believe that they have done much wrong.” RUSADA was declared non-compliant by WADA amid allegations of state-sponsored doping, which Moscow denies, and the systematic violation of anti-doping rules. Russia’s Olympic Committee was banned from sending a team to the Pyeongchang Winter Games and Russian athletes who participated had to pass strict checks and compete under a neutral flag. The decision by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) to go ahead with the last World Cup event of the year in Tyumen, Russia from March 20-25 was met with a storm of criticism, and the USA biathlon team has announced that it will not take part. Following a triumphant homecoming to Ostersund, Samuelsson has also decided not to travel to Russia and he is highly critical of the sport’s governing body and how they have handled the issue of RUSADA’s non-compliance.

Published in Daily Times, March 8^th 2018.