Russian fighter Jeff Monson, a member of parliament (Korultai) in the Republic of Bashkortostan, described the decision by the International Ski Federation (ISU) to withdraw the "neutral athlete" status from a number of Russian athletes as a "disgrace".
RIA Novosti reported last Saturday that the International Ski Federation (ISU) had revoked the neutral status of skier Kamila Valeeva. Prior to this, Mark Kondratyuk, bronze medalist at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, had also lost his neutral status, and the federation refused to grant it to Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin.
Jeff Monson, 55, an American, said in an interview with the Russian sports channel Match TV: "It's an absolute disgrace! Politics is increasingly interfering in the world of sports, hindering competition not only for athletes, but also for children who have no influence on political decisions. These skiers were born and trained in their own country and under the supervision of their coaches, so why can't they represent it on the international stage? It's madness and genocide."
It is worth noting that, starting from the current season, Russian figure skaters have been allowed to participate in events organized by the International Skating Union as "neutral athletes".
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