Sanctions lifted by the FIL for Russian luge athletes

The ban on Russian athletes in luge was lifted by the International Luge Federation (FIL). The ruling could have a significant impact on the fate of Russian athletes competing in other sports.

The decision regarding the lifting of the ban was made by the International Luge Federation arbitration court, an independent body separate from the FIL.

“The FIL leadership is still of the opinion that officials and athletes from states with behavior contrary to international law must be excluded,” a federation spokesperson said. “The FIL may appeal against this decision of the (FIL) Court of Arbitration. However, the legal chances are probably not very promising at the moment.”

The Russian luge federation, which had appealed the ban, said it violated the FIL charter.

The FIL spokesperson noted passages from the Olympic Charter and FIL statutes that work in the Russians’ favor, pointing to their bylaws which prohibit “political, racist, religious, or any other discrimination towards its members.”

“The collective actions against all Russian athletes, coaches, officials … is based only on the nationality of the individuals concerned, and to be regarded as prohibited political discrimination,” a spokesperson said.

This notion is also buttressed by the Olympic Charter which reads:

“Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”

On Sunday, the FIL posted an open letter on its social media platform from Ukrainian athletes, who called for a boycott of international competition so long as the Russians are allowed to compete.

“We are alarmed and extremely concerned about the possibility of allowing the Russian luge team to compete in FIL International competitions,” the letter said. “In this potential scenario we are extremely worried about the physical and mental safety of all Ukrainian athletes during international competition.”

Despite the lifting of the ban on Russian lugers, other federations are still enforcing their ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in major international competitions.

Two top Russian lugers are Tatyana Ivanova and Roman Repilov. Ivanova who won a bronze medal in Beijing in 2008, is the only Russian woman to have won an Olympic medal in the sport, while Repilov is the 2021 men’s singles champion.

The Russian Olympic Committee hopes that the decision will serve as a precedent for other sports, many of which currently face sanctions. There are several cases pending before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.