Russian sports officials filed complaints with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to the exclusion of their athletes from the stage of the Luge World Cup held in Latvia, reported LSM, quoting the president of the Latvian Luge Federation (LFSF) Klavs Vasks.
Last weekend, the fourth stage of the Luge World Cup took place on the track in Sigulda. Despite the decision of the International Luge Federation (FIL) to allow Russian athletes to participate in the competitions as neutral athletes, Russian lugers were unable to take part in this stage.
As reported by bb.lv, at the end of December, Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže included 14 Russian athletes in the list of individuals banned from entering Latvia.
"The Russian Luge Federation and the Russian Olympic Committee have filed complaints with the IOC, but it should be noted that the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee in the IOC is currently suspended, so the legal status of these complaints is not entirely clear at the moment," noted Vasks.
Vasks added that the bans on athletes with neutral status were imposed by competent state authorities, not by the Luge Federation of Latvia.
Unlike Latvia, the authorities in the United States did not hinder Russian lugers. At the previous stage of the World Cup, which took place at the end of December in the USA, Russians returned to the World Cup competitions for the first time since 2022.
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