The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned the absolute ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus and allowed them to compete as “neutral individual athletes”. This has opened the door for Russian ski jumpers to take part in the Four Hills Tournament, but the next stop on the World Cup calendar – Zakopane – is unlikely to welcome guests from the east. Adam Małysz stated bluntly that he cannot imagine Russian ski jumpers competing in the capital of the Polish Tatra Mountains.
CAS upheld the appeals of Russian and Belarusian athletes, finding that their complete exclusion from competitions held under the auspices of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (Fédération Internationale de Ski et de Snowboard, FIS) lacked sufficient legal grounds.
Russians Return to the Hills…
As a result, athletes from these countries – despite the ongoing aggression against Ukraine – may compete as “neutral individual athletes”, which has opened the path to Olympic qualification and participation in the prestigious Four Hills Tournament. Russian officials quickly moved to secure visas and obtain permission for their athletes to compete in events in Germany and Austria. Media reports mentioned preparations for starts in Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck, and Bischofshofen. The CAS decision was a breakthrough for them, as for the first time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine it created a real possibility of returning to international ski jumping.
…But Not in Poland
The situation looks different in Poland, however. After the conclusion of the Four Hills Tournament, the World Cup moves to Zakopane, but both the Polish authorities and the sports community have expressed opposition to the presence of Russian ski jumpers. Sports Minister Jakub Rutnicki stated clearly that their appearance on Wielka Krokiew is out of the question, while the president of the Polish Ski Association (PZN), Adam Małysz, emphasized that he cannot imagine such a scenario, saying “If we allow even one step forward, we will be in a losing position. Once again we make concessions, once again we grant leniency. And we should maintain a firm stance, as we have so far – clearly stating that it was Ukraine that was attacked and doing everything so that it can defend its territory, and so that such situations never happen again,” Małysz said in an interview with Fakt.