MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. An issue of Russian biathletes’ return to international tournaments will be studied only formally at the session of the Congress of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) in September, IBU President Olle Dahlin told TASS on Monday.

The IBU announced to TASS earlier that the Congress was set to consider an updated report on the current status of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU).

"It will only be formally handled," Dahlin stated.

The IBU Congress will be held on September 17-20 in Berchtesgaden, Germany.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a decision in July to reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and also recommended lifting restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes in all international tournaments.

Last month, IBU President Dahlin announced to TASS that the International Biathlon Union’s stance regarding the suspension of Russian athletes remained unchanged despite updated recommendations issued by the International Olympic Committee.

On December 10, 2025, the RBU filed a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland demanding that the suspension of Russian athletes, which had been in effect since spring 2022, be lifted.