Latvia "became the first nation to say they will boycott the bobsleigh and skeleton World Championships in Sochi," according to Nick Hope of the BBC.
Pressure "is mounting on authorities to strip the Russian city of the March event after a report claimed more than 1,000 Russians benefited from state-sponsored doping" between '11 and '15. The Latvian team said, "The Olympic spirit was stolen in 2014. Now we say enough is enough." Great Britain and the U.S. are waiting for the Int'l Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation "to make an official statement before taking a decision on their participation."
But it is expected they "will join forces with other nations in announcing they will not send athletes if the event is not moved from Sochi" (BBC, 12/11). The AP reported if the world championships "are going to be moved out of Sochi," a decision by the IBSF "would have to come quickly." The IBSF said it will “act promptly and decisively” after World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren’s latest report "detailing the scope of the doping program." The Russians "are scheduled to compete this weekend in a World Cup bobsled and skeleton competition" in Lake Placid, N.Y., as are sliders from most other nations on the circuit.
U.S. women's bobsled pilot Elana Meyers Taylor tweeted, "I want to compete in a World Championships that’s drug free and safe for all. Sochi, Russia, is not an option" (AP, 12/11). RT wrote the U.S. Olympic Committee said that it is against a "blanket boycott" of the event, but would "support any American athlete who chooses not to race in Sochi." Meyers Taylor and Lolo Jones "have both indicated they would withdraw if the event isn't relocated" (RT, 12/11).
