Bert Sundström: “Then it’s hard to be an athlete in Russia”

SVT’s foreign correspondent Bert Sundström comments on recent statements from Russia’s national cross‑country skiing coach Yegor Sorin, who claimed that the decision to bar Russia from the Olympic Games was driven by “Russophobia.”

Sundström notes that this type of criticism is not new and places it in a broader political context. According to him, it is difficult for athletes in Russia to openly oppose the country’s political leadership and still continue their careers. “If you are an opponent of the Kremlin, I think you would find it very hard to operate as an athlete in Russia,” he says.

The discussion is tied to the run‑up to the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and recent decisions by international sports bodies. Related coverage includes Russia appealing its Olympic exclusion to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), reactions to FIS decisions, and pieces on Russian athletes’ stances and training situations.