Finnish Official Acknowledges Russia's Absence Hurts Cross-Country Skiing

Martti Uusitalo does not see the situation changing in any way. The FIS head acknowledges that the absence of Russian athletes has adversely affected cross-country skiing.

This is how the Russian ski team, competing without national identities, celebrated their jackpot at the Beijing Olympics three years ago: four golds, four silvers, and three bronzes. Image: Al Bello/Getty Images.

In a normal world, Russian ski stars would fiercely challenge Johannes Hösflot Klæbo, who aims for a jackpot of six gold medals at the Trondheim World Championships.

However, the fact remains that the war started by Russia shortly after the 2022 Olympics has kept Russian athletes, who achieved 11 medals in Beijing, out of international competition for three consecutive seasons.

The absence of Russia has hit cross-country skiing the hardest, which was already a narrow sport internationally.

"It is entirely true that the absence of Russia has been a loss for cross-country skiing. The sport would benefit from Russia's presence,' says FIS board member Martti Uusitalo.

The board decided to expel Russia and Belarus in 2022.

Context for Comment Yle Urheilu was interested in Uusitalo's views, especially since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) addressed this issue about a month ago.

The committee announced it would "explore" whether Russians could return to international sports—where they are not currently entirely excluded—under certain conditions.

Uusitalo points out that such messages from the IOC have been heard before, and from FIS's perspective, nothing has changed.

"In this situation, with the war ongoing, the presence of Russia and Belarus is, of course, out of the question. If the situation changes, discussions will surely begin again.

In other high positions, Uusitalo, in addition to being on the board of FIS, is also a board member of the Finnish Ski Association and CEO-partner of the company Oy Patrol Trading AB, which imports sports equipment and manufactures ski waxes.

Following a few underwhelming events, the World Championships were held in a location where the sport truly attracts interest. The market in Trondheim was filled on Thursday evening as sprint skiers received their medals. Image: EPA-EFE/AOP.

After the Yle Urheilu interview, Uusitalo met with the star skier's manager-father Haakon Klæbo on Friday.

Kläbo lives in Trondheim, a walking distance from the World Championship stadium, which will be filled to the brim after two previous disappointing World Championships in cross-country skiing.

In Oberstdorf in 2021, the stands were closed due to the COVID pandemic, and in Planica in 2023, there was no Slovenian home audience interest for the sport.

"Without a doubt, the TV images from Trondheim are important advertising for cross-country skiing," Uusitalo asserts.

Uusitalo was involved in developing a centralized media and sponsorship agreement, met with significant opposition initially, but he emphasizes that the benefits of increased media visibility, media revenue, and sponsorship revenue can sway opinions as time goes on.