Belarus Sports and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk told that he did not expect anything from the International Biathlon Union (IBU) congress, as Raubichi has still not had the opportunity to to host the World Cup stage.
The IBU Congress will be held September 15-18 in Salzburg, Austria.
On March 2, the IBU suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in competitions under the auspices of the organization. On March 29, the IBU suspended the membership of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) and the Belarusian Biathlon Federation (BFB).
“We see what decisions they have made over the past 20 years. The Republic of Belarus, having excellent opportunities, such a wonderful complex, fought for the right to host the World Cup stage. So far we have not been given it, although we have traditions in biathlon. Many of our athletes won not only the glory of Belarusian biathlon, but also of the world. With all this, the country did not receive the right to host the World Cup, and the same Estonia, which today does not have athletes who have won the World Cup, World Championships and Europe, organizes competitions. Today, politics has interfered in sports, we are against politics in sports, we are for showing the peaceful politics of the country through sports, that all conflicts must be resolved on sports grounds, and not in political arenas,” Kovalchuk said.
— What decision do you expect from the IBU Congress?
We don’t expect anything. We know what the IBU Congress is. We held the European Championship in 2019, after which Estonia could not hold the same tournament in 2020 due to lack of snow. Instead, we covered all the costs and organized the European Championship. We were thanked for the work we did.
Source : MatchTV
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