Finnish Ski Association chief welcomes FIS decision to keep Russians out; ex-biathlon star’s nuclear threat remark draws outrage

Finnish Ski Association chair Sirpa Korkatti learned from Yle that the FIS Council decided to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes excluded from international competitions. She welcomed the decision, calling it very pleasing for Finland and the product of sustained lobbying, noting that Finland, Sweden, and Norway had coordinated closely on the issue.

Korkatti said the outcome was not a surprise after a long Council meeting on Tuesday, reportedly culminating in an anonymous vote. Although not a member of the FIS Council herself, she has been active behind the scenes, exchanging messages and calls with both supporters and opponents.

In September in Zurich, the Nordic federations sat down together and agreed to present a united front against Russian participation. In a recent Helsingin Sanomat interview, Korkatti told FIS president Johan Eliasch that Finland could not accept Russians returning to competition and stated that Russians would have had no place at the Ruka World Cup opener given Finland’s entry restrictions, even if FIS had lifted the ban.

Those comments drew widespread attention in Russia and provoked strong reactions. The most extreme came from four-time Olympic biathlon champion Aleksandr Tikhonov, who told Sport Express—cited by Sweden’s Expressen—that Finland should be attacked with nuclear weapons, saying, “I’d make Finland into Hiroshima,” and arguing sport should be separated from politics. Korkatti says she has received a great deal of feedback: much of it positive from the sports community and the public, while criticism has come mostly from Russia. She believes the backlash shows their stance “got under the skin.”

Korkatti is now focused on the upcoming cross-country World Cup season starting in late November in Ruka, with the Milan–Cortina Olympics looming in February. She emphasized that a very important winter sports season is about to begin.

Editor’s note: Tikhonov served as IBU vice president (2002–2010), not president.