Russian skier refuses to represent Belarus, returns to Saint Petersburg?

Russian member of the Belarusian National Ski Team Mikhail Kuklin has not been taking part in the training since the end of November. Belarusian officials wanted him to replace famous Syarhei Dalidovich. Kuklin was registered for the last two races yet he did not take part in them. The other members of the team have already managed to participate in several races in Italy and Austria this December.

Russian skiers were in the centre of attention in July when it turned out that they were going to represent Belarus at international competitions without being Belarusian citizens. They were also planning to take part in the Olympic Games as part of Belarus national team.

One of the Russian skiers, Mikhail Kuklin, has stopped training and is rumoured to have refused to represent our country, Euroradio leant.

Euroradio has not managed to contact Mikhail Kuklin. He won’t reply to our messages on social networks. His wife Larisa Kuklina is also ignoring the messages.

Everything is fine and Kuklin is training with the team, head of Belarus Ski Federation Andrei Kavalenka assured:

"Everything is fine. Mikhail Kuklin is getting ready for the World Cup together with the national team.”

Andrei Kavalenka has urgently left for Davos, a representative of the Ski Federation told Euroradio after this conversation. Belarus national team is training there now.

It seems that Mikhail Kuklin has not become a Belarusian citizen so far. Yet, the Russian has already received a Belarusian passport as well as the other foreign skiers of the national team, the head of the Ski Federation assured in August. Does it mean that Belarusian tax-payers’ money allocated for the 2-year training of the skier who could leave at any moment was spent in vain?