From Lausanne, SUI
In an unprecedented move, the IBSF has revoked the World Championships from Sochi, Russia.
In the aftermath of the McLaren Report and its findings, the pressure had been put on the IBSF from various organizations. The Latvian skeleton team had already announced they were boycotting the World Championships, with Great Britain, Australia, South Korea, and others hinting that they were not far behind.
In a statement (posted in full below) released December 13, the IBSF indicated that the organization wanted the focus of their World Championships to be on the athletes and teams, and not on “accusations and discussions – whether justified or not”.
Currently there is no replacement venue. The World Cup caliber tracks not on the current schedule are Calgary and Park City, with La Plagne, Lillehammer, and Nagano also potentially available. Another option would be to re-race at one of the tracks currently scheduled for the coming season. If that were the case, the only track potentially unavailable is St. Moritz, as FIS has a World Championships scheduled during that time in St. Moritz already.
IBSF’s Statement:
The IBSF decided to move the IBSF World Championships 2017 from Sochi, Russia to another location
which will be determined in the coming days.
The IBSF Executive Committee felt that during this difficult time it is prudent not to organize such an
event in Russia. This decision was made for two primary reasons:
- 1st: to allow athletes and coaches from all Nations to participate in a competition that
focuses on sport rather than accusations and discussions – whether justified or not. - 2nd: The Russian Bobsleigh Federation has put a great effort in the preparation of the World
Championships, but the current climate would make it nearly impossible to appreciate the
efforts of the Organizing Committee to host a great event or the quality of the Sanki Sliding
Center as one of the best tracks in the World
Having stated that, the IBSF asks all Members and athletes for Fair Play and Respect, which also
includes the assumption of innocence for any athlete, regardless of national affiliation, until proven
guilty.
