Sweden’s FIS board member Mats rjes told the TT news agency.

– It turned out as expected. Same decision as before, he said.

Some time later, the decision was confirmed in a press release from FIS.

– The FIS Council decided, with respect to the integrity of our competition and the safety of all participants, and in line with the recommendations of the IOC, to proceed with our decision not to allow Russian and Belarusian teams and athletes to participate in FIS competitions, he said .

rjes said that there was no debate on the FIS board when the Russia issue arose.

– No, it was done quickly.

The decision was made in Sölden, Austria, on Saturday evening. The members gathered there in conjunction with the opening weekend in alpine skiing, and Erik Rste participated as the Norwegian representative.

Hesitant

Further exclusions from Russia and Belarus are expected, but statements by the FIS secretary general Michel Vion in September raised doubts.

They can be interpreted as him leaving the door open for Russian and Belarusian participation internationally next winter.

Prior to Saturday’s meeting, there had been signals from the Swedish and Norwegian sides that a boycott of the World Cup would be relevant if sanctions were not maintained.

War

Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been expelled since March as a result of hostilities in Ukraine. The Norwegian Ski Association has been working this fall to ensure that these countries are also kept away from all gathering activities within the FIS system.

Last month the NSF boycotted the fall FIS meeting when it emerged that Russian and Belarusian representatives were allowed to participate.

The World Cup in various ski sports has started or is about to open. The highlight of the season is the WC at the Nordic event in Planica in February.