Latvian downhill skier Mārtiņš Oliņš has announced he will not compete in the Paralympic Games following the allocation of quotas to para-athletes from Russia and Belarus.
The Latvian Paralympic Committee has reported that Mārtiņš Oliņš, a downhill skier, will not compete in the upcoming Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina after quotas were granted to para-athletes from Russia and Belarus. This decision comes in the wake of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the International Paralympic Committee's ruling on February 16, which allowed special invitations for certain athletes, resulting in ten athletes from these nations being able to participate.
Despite a previous decision in October by the FIS to exclude para-athletes from Russia and Belarus from qualification events, these athletes managed to gain ranking points after a successful appeal in December to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The recent ruling now permits their participation in three sports: snowboarding, alpine skiing, and cross-country skiing, igniting discussions on the integrity of the Games and the relevance of geopolitical tensions on sports.
Oliņš’s withdrawal underscores the ongoing controversy surrounding the inclusion of athletes from aggressor states in international competitions, reflecting a dynamic between sport and moral stances in response to the actions of these countries. With debates intensifying over fair play versus political implications, it raises questions for future international sporting events regarding the eligibility and treatment of athletes from nations at war or under international scrutiny.
