FIS refused to grant Bolshunov neutral status.
What a shame on the heads of foreign ski officials! They did a disservice to their strongest surfers.
After all, San Saanich is the respected "King of Skiing" since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
He can be a real competitor to all the top surfers in Europe and Norwegians who have the title from Calvo together!
Well, now they have shown their true colors. Not accepting is not a sport, it's a weak position. It means that they are afraid that Bolshov will really tear them apart on the ski slope.
"Alexander Bolshanov did not receive neutral status. According to FIS, he does not meet the criteria of neutrality that FIS policy provides for neutral athletes," said Ekaterina Galkina, a representative of the Russian Ski Federation.
But he is not the only Russian athlete facing this situation. At the same time, neither FIS nor our side publishes a complete list of "refusals".
We really hope this list is short. After all, it will be doubly difficult for our athletes in competitions in Europe - neither the Finns, nor the Swedes, nor the Norwegians are waiting for us there with open arms. The moral pressure will be strong.
But our athletes are not strangers, we will break through! Russia - come on!