Russias membership status to be key issue for national delegation at IBU Congress

Moscow : Maintaining the membership of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) with the International Biathlon Union (IBU) is the most important task on the present-day agenda, Russian biathlete and coach Alexander Privalov said on Monday.

Privalov and Russia's two-time Olympic champion in biathlon Viktor Mamatov are members of the Russian delegation travelling to Croatia's Porec for the IBU Congress on September 6-9. The delegation is led by RBU President Vladimir Drachev, reports Tass news agency.

In December 2017, the IBU Executive Board made a decision to limit the rights of the RBU with the international organization.

The RBU was in particular stripped of the right to vote at the IBU Congress and nominate its candidates for the executive posts in the global organization.

"This is a very complicated issue, we will be advocating for the stance of the RBU to make sure that it maintains its membership with the IBU," Privalov said in an interview with Tass.

"We have the influence since I worked in the international organization for 30 years, while Mamatov used to hold the post of a vice president."

"We will try to see that our ill-wishers change the sides and join our camp," he said.

Privalov also said that he was planning to deliver a speech at the Congress in Croatia addressing its participants.

"Our prime message is to draw attention to the fact that the international organization has changed and became slightly politicised," he said. "It is crucial to turn it once again into a friendly federation with mutual respect as it used to be a pure satisfaction to work there."