Cross Country Skiing
Cross-country: Mika Vermeulen on meeting Russian skiers in Austria: “Fuck off”
October 21, 2025 / SVT Sport
Austrian cross-country skier Mika Vermeulen says several Russian athletes are training in Ramsau, Austria while awaiting a FIS decision on Olympic eligibility for Russians and Belarusians. Vermeulen told the podcast “Skirious Problems” he was happy to see some young Russians but was disturbed by meeting Veronica Stepanova, who openly supports Vladimir Putin, saying it felt wrong and his reaction was “Fuck off.” The debate comes as FIS was set to decide whether Russians/Belarusians could try to qualify for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics, with Sweden, Norway, and Finland opposing their return.
Decision on Russia’s Olympic status could affect Linn Svahn’s participation
October 21, 2025 / Sveriges Radio (Radiosporten)
The International Ski Federation (FIS) is set to decide whether Russian and Belarusian skiers may compete at the 2026 Olympics under a neutral flag. Sweden’s Linn Svahn says the Games should be boycotted if they are allowed to participate, while former Swedish federation chair Karin Mattsson and Norway’s national team leadership back maintaining the ban. The outcome could directly impact Olympic cross-country fields and Svahn’s own decision to compete.
Norwegian expert surprised by continued Russia ban – Russian coach alleges Nordic boycott threat
October 21, 2025 / Yle
The International Ski Federation (FIS) decided to continue banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from its competitions, drawing praise from stars like Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and agreement from Halvor Egner Granerud. NRK commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt was surprised, believing FIS leadership under Johan Eliasch had been working to enable a return. Russia’s head cross‑country coach Yuri Borodavko claimed Nordic nations threatened a boycott if Russians were readmitted, a claim Finnish FIS Council member Martti Uusitalo denied; Sweden’s Karin Mattsson cited politicization of sport by Putin and Lukashenko, and referenced Veronika Stepanova’s pro‑Kremlin stance.
No Russian skiers at the 2026 Olympics – stars react: “The right decision”
October 21, 2025 / SVT Sport
FIS has ruled that Russian and Belarusian skiers cannot qualify for the Milano–Cortina 2026 Olympics. Top athletes Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Calle Halfvarsson support the decision, saying no participation should be allowed while the war in Ukraine continues. Halfvarsson acknowledges the sporting unfairness for individuals not involved in the war but maintains the stance is necessary; the ban applies across all FIS sports and Paralympics.
FIS rules Russian and Belarusian skiers out of international competitions and the 2026 Olympics after six-hour council meeting
October 21, 2025 / Yle
The FIS Council decided that athletes from Russia and Belarus remain barred from World Cup events and from the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, even as neutral athletes. Finnish council member Martti Uusitalo said the debate was open and lengthy before an anonymous vote, aligning with Finland’s long-standing stance against readmission. While other federations in skating and ski mountaineering have allowed neutrals, biathlon’s IBU and the international bobsleigh federation have taken similar exclusionary positions; FIS President Johan Eliasch had advocated for reinstatement but was overruled.
NRK reveals FIS leaders’ letter seeking support to re‑admit Russian and Belarusian skiers
October 17, 2025 / Yle
Norwegian broadcaster NRK obtained a confidential letter from FIS leaders—president Johan Eliasch, secretary general Michel Vion and CEO Urs Lehmann—aiming to secure member support to bring Russian and Belarusian athletes back to competitions this winter under neutral status. Norway’s ski federation and Finland’s ski federation oppose the move, with Finnish chair Sirpa Korkatti saying Russians will not be allowed at the Ruka World Cup opener due to entry bans. FIS’s council will decide on October 21; athletes linked to the military or who supported the war would remain excluded, and team events would still be off‑limits.
Winter sports: The letter that could decide if Russian athletes may compete again
October 17, 2025 / SVT Sport
FIS has sent a letter and survey to national federations ahead of a Tuesday board meeting that will decide whether Russian and Belarusian athletes can return under neutral status. Sweden’s ski federation says it maintains its stance that Russians and Belarusians should remain barred from international competitions. The article notes IOC pressure on FIS to admit neutrals and highlights neutrality criteria that could exclude stars like Aleksandr Bolshunov due to military ties and public support for the war.
Worlds organizing board reported to police after financial collapse
October 17, 2025 / Sveriges Radio – Radiosporten
After the financial collapse surrounding last season’s Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, the championship’s board has now been reported to the police. Earlier this year Norway’s Financial Supervisory Authority concluded that laws had been broken but refrained from sanctions, citing lack of intent and ignorance. The new police report is filed by the grassroots association Skigrasrota, which wants the case to be investigated criminally as well.
Severe birthday accident: France’s Flora Dolci out for the season
October 15, 2025 / krone.at
French cross-country skier Flora Dolci suffered a lumbar vertebra fracture in a paragliding accident on her 26th birthday, ending her Olympic-season campaign. Team doctor Thibault Barbe said she avoided permanent damage and can walk, but a full return to peak performance is expected to take around six months. Dolci was France’s top woman in last season’s World Cup standings and placed in the top 10 of the 50 km freestyle at the Trondheim World Championships.
Olympic season over: Cross-country skier Flora Dolci suffers spinal fracture in paragliding accident
October 14, 2025 / SPORT1
France’s Flora Dolci, ninth in the 50 km freestyle at the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, sustained a lumbar vertebra fracture in a paragliding accident on her 26th birthday. Team doctor Thibault Barbe said there was risk of neurological damage, but after surgery in Grenoble she can walk and is expected to need about six months to return to full capacity, ruling her out of the 2025–26 Olympic winter. Dolci was France’s top woman in last season’s World Cup standings and posted a career‑best sixth in the Engadin 20 km freestyle.
Ari Luusua on possible comeback after doping ban ends in January 2026: “I’m a working family man”
October 13, 2025 / Yle
Finnish skier Ari Luusua, 37, says he has contacted the Finnish Ski Association about the details of a potential return once his sanction ends on 3 January 2026. His ban, stemming from a 2021 positive test for drostanolone and meldonium while competing in long‑distance Ski Classics, was extended due to his earlier retirement notification. Luusua, a former national team sprinter who later raced Ski Classics, declined to commit to a comeback, emphasizing his family and work life, while the Ski Association confirmed his FIS code can be reactivated from the ban’s end date.
Flora Dolci undergoes surgery for fractured vertebra, out of Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics
October 13, 2025 / L'Équipe
French cross-country skier Flora Dolci suffered a paragliding accident on her 26th birthday, resulting in a lumbar vertebra fracture that required surgery in Grenoble. Team doctors say she is walking and could recover full capacity in about six months, but she will miss the entire season and the 2026 Winter Olympics. The French team continues preparations with camps in Prémanon and Bessans ahead of the World Cup opener in Ruka on November 28.