YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, January 10. /TASS/. Russian cross-country skiers Andery Sakharov and Anna Koryakova won gold medals in 10-km classic race in men and women’s competitions respectively on the opening day of the 2025 Russia-China Winter Youth Games in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Two sets of medals were at the stake during the first day of the tournament and Russian athletes swept the pedestal in both of them. Sakharov and Koryakina won the gold, Platon Islamshin and Alyona Plechyova snatched the silver, while Arseny Pozdneyev and Ruslana Dyakova packed the bronze in men’s and women’s events respectively.
The 2025 Russia-China Winter Youth Games take place between January 8 and 14. The tournament’s program includes nine Olympic competitions. These include alpine skiing, ski racing, short track speed skating, snowboarding, figure skating, curling and other disciplines.
A total of 224 athletes, with 112 on each side, are represented at the international tournament on both sides.
IOC sanctions against Russia, Belarus
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
In late March, 2023, the IOC recommended to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status. Russia and Belarus were also banned from participating in international team events.
On October 12, 2023, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) until further notice after the Russian organization included the Olympic councils of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions as its members.