Borodavko hopes that FIS will eventually allow eight Russian skiers to participate in international competitions

Senior coach of the Russian cross-country skiing team Yuri Borodavko, in a conversation with Match TV, suggested that the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) will further expand the list of athletes who have received neutral status to participate in the qualifying competitions for the 2026 Olympic Games.

On Wednesday it became known that Russian skiers Saveliy Korostelev and Daria Nepryaeva, as well as freestyle skier Anastasia Tatalina, received neutral status from the FIS to participate in international competitions. The next stage of the World Cup in cross-country skiing will be held in Davos from December 12 to 14.

— Did anyone from your group try to obtain neutral status?

— Each athlete made his own decision. Both from my group and from other groups, many athletes applied. But it is a shame that FIS only considered two athletes to participate. As we know from the IOC conditions, they only consider those athletes who have been approved by the FIS. It is likely that today this is the minimum quota that they want to allow from Russia. Let’s hope that today has passed and tomorrow there will be information that they will be able to accredit someone else to participate in the FIS calendar.

For me, this is not a very happy event, since in other sports it was assumed that one athlete would participate at a distance. But we have the right to count on a 4 + 4 quota, since we have four individual distances. But to date, only two have been granted neutral status.

— Are there still chances to get the status?

— I’m talking about all the athletes of the national team, not just my group. Maybe they’ll take more time to consider. Here we are kept in complete ignorance, we wait and state the fact,” Borodavko told Match TV.

The International Federation noted in its release that the list may be supplemented by other participants from Russia and Belarus.