Janne Ahonen speaks bluntly on Russia’s continued exclusion by FIS

The International Ski Federation (FIS) has decided to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes excluded from all competitions it organizes, continuing the policy introduced after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Finnish ski jumping great Janne Ahonen supported the move. “I really have nothing more to say other than that this is the right solution in this situation. I don’t think it needs further justification,” he told iltalehti.fi. Ahonen added that, beyond the ethical and political considerations, it would not be easy for Russian athletes to jump straight back into international events after such a long break, even if they had stayed in good form without the rhythm of competing against the world’s best.

The decision drew anger in Russia. Russian media voices complained that the slogan “sport is outside politics” no longer applies, and asserted they had hoped to participate at least as neutral athletes or to have at least one representative in each discipline. A commentator on Match TV claimed FIS followed “instructions” and did everything possible to keep Russians out.

FIS’s stance maintains the status quo across its disciplines—including ski jumping, cross‑country skiing, Nordic combined, and others—keeping Russian and Belarusian athletes sidelined for the time being.