The World Air Sports Federation (FAI) and the International Federation of Sports Climbing (IFSC) have failed to respond to questions from The Sports Integrity Initiative over whether scheduled World Championships will take place in Russia next year. Yesterday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Russia may not host a World Championship during the next two years. ‘Where the right to host any such event in the Two-Year Period has already been awarded to the Russian Federation, the Signatory in question must withdraw that right and re-assign the event to another country, unless it is legally or practically impossible to do so’, reads the ruling [emphasis added]. 

Both the FAI and the IFSC are Code signatories. The 2020 FAI World Parachuting Championships are scheduled to be hosted by Tanay/Kemerevo from 10-20 August 2021; and the IFSC Climbing World Championships are due to be hosted in Moscow from 14-21 September 2021. Both were mentioned by Russia’s Minister of Sport, Oleg Matytsin (Олег Матыцин), as events that Russians can look forward to in a 16 December speech, published the day before the CAS ruling.