Borodavko called reports of Bolshunov being denied neutral status nonsense

Team coach denies reports of refusal

Senior coach of the Russian cross-country skiing team Yuri Borodavko called nonsense the reports that appeared on November 4 in Norwegian media claiming that the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) had denied three-time Olympic champion Alexander Bolshunov neutral status. His words were cited by Sport24. “This is simply nonsense. In matters like this one must rely on official information, not on the wishes of Norwegian colleagues. One should respect oneself rather than believe all sorts of unverified information,” Borodavko said.

What is known about the status situation

This is not the first denial: on November 1, information appeared that FIS did not intend to grant Bolshunov neutral status and suggested he wait until next season, and earlier this was also denied by the head of the relevant State Duma committee, Dmitry Svishchev. Thus, there is currently no official decision by the federation on the skier's status — the question remains open. At the same time, Bolshunov is included in the preliminary list of Russian skiers who will take part in the first two stages of the 2026/2027 World Cup in Ruka, Finland, and Trondheim, Norway; the first stage will take place on November 27–29. For the three-time Olympic champion, two-time World Cup winner and Tour de Ski champion, admission in a neutral status determines whether he can compete in these events.