Norway on Thursday joined calls for a biathlon World Cup event to be moved from Russia over its doping scandal. Pressure mounted as the International Biathlon Union executive met in Salzburg, Austria to discuss how to handle 31 Russian doping cases reported to the body by Canadian investigator Richard McLaren.
The Czech Republic and Britain have already said they will boycott the event. Multiple world champion and Olympic medal winner Martin Fourcade has said he is ready to lead a boycott. The Norwegian association has demanded that the IBU ban Russia from the World Cup over the McLaren report's revelations, its president Erlend Slokvik told Norwegian TV channel TV2.
"We sent a letter, in line with the Czech Biathlon Union, in which we say the IBU must act against Russia and move the assigned event from them. "Several nations have expressed their views to the IBU. We expect something to happen," he told TV2. The Norwgian letter said no events should be held in Russia "until the anti-doping work in Russia is officially approved and recognised by WADA," TV2 reported.