President of the Russian Biathlon Union (RUB) Viktor Maigurov said on Match TV that the consideration of the claim to prevent Russian biathletes from participating in international competitions will begin in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the New Year.

Russian biathletes have been suspended from international competitions since 2022 due to the conflict in Ukraine. On December 10, the SBR filed a lawsuit with CAS to challenge the exclusion of athletes from Russia from competing under the auspices of the International Biathlon Union (IBU). The IBU refused to expedite the claim.

— According to CAS rules, both parties must agree to an expedited procedure. If someone does not agree, then admission is considered within the usual time frame, perhaps two weeks. Due to Christmas, the review will most likely not begin until the New Year.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) was much more loyal to our skiers than the IBU was to biathletes. Even before the case was considered by CAS, they sent forms, which the skiers filled out and sent to FIS. For biathletes, the procedure will begin only after one or another CAS decision. It’s clear that the IBU wants to delay the matter as much as possible, although all our actions are aimed at ensuring that we return to international competitions,” Maigurov said on Match TV.

At these moments, the men’s mass start is taking place at the stage of the Commonwealth Cup in Tchaikovsky. Watch the live broadcast on the Match TV channel, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.

• CAS explained why the Russian side’s claim against the IBU will not be considered expeditiously

On Sunday, December 21, at the third stage of the Alfa-Bank Commonwealth Biathlon Cup in Tchaikovsky (Perm Territory), women’s and men’s races will be held from a common start.

Watch the live broadcast of the men’s 15-kilometer mass start from 8:35 Moscow time on the Match TV and Match! Arena”, the broadcast of the women’s 12.5 km race will begin at 11:30. The competitions will also be shown on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.

30 athletes will compete in each race; if any of the participants refuses, the nearest reservist will go to the start. For men, the preliminary starting protocol included Russians Kirill Bazhin, Eduard Latypov, Karim Khalili, Alexander Loginov, Daniil Serohvostov, representatives of Belarus Anton Smolsky, Nikita Lobastov and others.

For women, the preliminary start list includes Russians Natalia Shevchenko, Anastasia Shevchenko, Svetlana Mironova, Kristina Reztsova, Victoria Slivko, Anastasia Khalili, Irina Kazakevich, Victoria Metelya, Belarusians Anna Sola, Dinara Smolskaya and others.

Open video

Norwegian biathlete Johan-Olav Botn won the pursuit race at the third stage of the World Cup in Annecy (France).

Botn, who started fourth, covered the 12.5 km distance in 31 minutes 20.8 seconds. The Norwegian did not make a single mistake on the shooting range.

The silver medal was won by the representative of France, Emilien Jacquelin (lag – 17.6 seconds, 3 penalties), who again found himself on the podium after third place in the sprint. Norwegian Johannes Dahle-Sevdahl finished third (+17.9; 2 penalties), dropping one place down in the pursuit.

For 26-year-old Botn, this victory was the third of the season. He continues to lead the overall standings with 510 points, Frenchman Eric Perrault is second (372), Swede Sebastian Samuelsson (348) closes the top three.

On Sunday, Annecy will host the women’s and men’s races from a general start.