French biathlon legend meets NRK in the foggy World Cup city of Oberhof. Recently she has had a lump in her stomach. The French – who had always been honest and outspoken – felt that he was not saying what he meant. He was ready to throw himself into a heated debate, which he knew would make headlines and throw the spotlight on him.

– There are many who will understand and many who will not. I’m not saying that I have the truth and stand above others, but as a human being I have my personal view of it. Today I feel it is okay to talk about it, said Fourcade.

Previously, NRK had been told we could speak with Fourcade for ten minutes. It quickly became almost half an hour. The Frenchman thought about it a lot and shared his honest opinion about the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

– As an athlete representative and as a sportsperson, I believe we should consider allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition. That’s the main message. I’ve been elected to the IOC to defend athletes. And I feel a little bit like I’m not defending those athletes. Of course they are Russian and Belarusian, but they are also artists. I think they should also be defended on that basis.

Will not be accused of supporting Russia

This 34 year old man is active in sports politics. She sits as president of the athletes’ commission for the Olympics in Paris in 2024 and is the athlete’s representative on the International Olympic Committee, along with Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen. The two shared their views during a contentious IOC meeting on January 19, which made headlines in the international media.

Fourcade emphasized that he was not speaking as an IOC member. He criticized the fact that the organization had not gone further in making Russian athletes neutral in the past.

– I fully support the Ukrainian people. This war is terrible. No part of me understands the Russian government or its actions, said Fourcade, before continuing:

– The reason why I feel it’s okay to talk about it now is because no one can misunderstand my position in it. I have fought Russia all my career over the doping issue. I am not the only one, but one of the few people who has taken a public position against the Russian federation and the Russian authorities on doping. I sometimes get scared because of that, because you never know what’s going to happen. But I will not give anyone a chance to accuse me of being pro-Russian, he said.

Four lines received death threats over criticism of Russia following a doping scandal in Sochi in 2014.

Fourcade: The athletes are not to blame

There are still many who want a male figure from Céret in Oberhof. Several people stopped him on his way to an interview with NRK. Some want to say hello and chat, some want selfies. He longed for people, but not to compete. TV 2 pundit and longtime rival Ole Einar Bjørndalen describes him as a player with a clear opinion.

Now he is very clear that athletes should not be denied competition because of their passports or because your president or your country is doing things you don’t support. He believes it would be terrible not to be able to compete because the president or home country took unsupported actions.

– Sometimes I am proud to be French and sometimes I am ashamed. Same as for you Norwegians. Sometimes you are proud to be Norwegian, sometimes you say “damn it, my country made choices I don’t support”.

Believe in the unifying power of sport

The 34-year-old Frenchman says he sees both sides of the issue and fully understands those who don’t want Russia and Belarus to return to the sport. Ukraine’s sports minister, Vadym Huttsajt, said they would consider a boycott if Russia was allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics in 2024. Some high profile Norwegians took the same stance. Fourcade believes it is a step in the wrong direction.

– I am a supporter of artists owning and using their voices. I want them to have a clear sound. But it becomes difficult when athletes have to choose who they think they should fight and not, said Fourcade, who believes athletes should not have to decide who they will fight.

The 34-year-old athlete believes that boycotting is not a position athletes should take. He believes in Olympic values.

– We can gather across religions, countries, and different mindsets. In this peaceful arena, the sports arena, we can show the world that we can be happy and against each other with sporting values. I have kept it from day one. I would be betraying myself and what I stand for if I didn’t stick up for it.

On Friday, around 30 sports ministers from Europe, Japan, the US and Canada met. The signal after that was that they agreed that Russia should not be allowed in. The Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo has stated that she doesn’t want to see them at the 2024 Olympics.

– I will greatly embarrass my country if my country decides to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing, Martin Fourcade told NRK.

– We are very proud to show the world how beautiful France is. And I don’t understand how we can welcome the world without Russian and Belarusian athletes. To me, it’s not something we can strive for.

He is not speaking on behalf of the Olympics in Paris in 2024 and has no timeline for when there will be a response, but believes discussions should take place.

– If we’re not talking about Paris, it’s about Cortina or Brisbane. There is no deadline for this topic. It’s not about when – but whether or not they’re allowed to compete. And I think they should be allowed.

– Excluding is never a solution

He believes there is no good enough reason to ban athletes because they have ties to the country’s military. Fourcade himself connected with the French defence, but emphasized that he had never competed as a soldier.

– What do you say to those who believe that allowing Russia to participate is propaganda for Putin’s war? asked NRK.

– We cannot exclude because of that. That is not fair. For me, it’s also important for Russians to see that Russian athletes and athletes from all over the world can create something together. That they stand for something greater. The values ​​that the country stands for are not good, but exclusion is never a solution. Of course they would profit from it, but there were other elements too. It’s important to talk to Russian athletes.

– They are ambassadors to Russia beyond the country’s borders, but they are also ambassadors to the rest of the world in Russia when they’re at home, says Fourcade.

Support Jacobsen: – Easy to say nothing

The 34-year-old Frenchwoman joined the debate that raged in the Norwegian press after Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen stated that athletes should not be discriminated against on the basis of passports. The criticism she received is one of the reasons why she is doing this interview with NRK.

– He took a stand and had a hard time. It’s not easy with so much pressure and criticism, he said.

– We should be able to talk about this without getting the reaction Astrid is getting. Then it’s no longer a conversation. It hurts, is totally crazy and totally unfair.

Fourcade said he had spoken to Jacobsen afterward. They sit together on the IOC athletes’ committee as two of the ten elected representatives.

– I know that many Norwegian athletes are against it. But I also know a lot of Norwegian athletes who are in favor of a comeback, who don’t want to say anything because they don’t want the same reaction Astrid got. It’s easier to say nothing, says Fourcade – and continues:

– We live in a world where everything is black and white. There are no gray areas or shadows. You can don’t talk about wanting the athletes back without people thinking you’re supporting the war. I don’t and I will never support it.