The female runners said that the Belarusian Ski Union deactivated their FIS code in December, an identification number that entitles skiers to compete under the International Ski Union (FIS). According to them, the head of the national cross-country federation, Alexander Darachovich, ordered officials in November to prevent them from starting in international races and participating in national team training camps. Neither the Belarusian Ski Union nor the FIS responded to Reuters’ request for comment.
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The female runners appear to be another of the Belarusian athletes who are being punished for opposition views on Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, after the country’s longtime ruler was re-elected to the presidency in 2020 under suspicious circumstances. His critics claim that the election was rigged.
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Belarusian Ski Union has deactivated the individual identification numbers required to participate in the competitions for skiers Svyatlana Andryuk & Daya Dalidovich. They won’t be able to compete in Beijing Olympics. Officials accused them of being supporters of the opposition. pic.twitter.com/1X2nSPnEv1
— Belarus in Sweden ????❤️???????????? (@BelarusInSweden) January 11, 2022
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“Officials have literally told me that I support the opposition,” Andryyuk, 22, said in an online interview with Reuters. According to her own words, she never ventured her political views, which she describes as neutral. However, she lost the opportunity to qualify for Beijing and the employment relationship under the head of state. “I don’t want to be here anymore. I want to go to Poland, you can’t live here,” she added.
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