International sports officials, facing a potential boycott by athletes upset over the Russian doping scandal, have decided to move bobsled and skeleton world championships out of Russia next year.
The move was announced on Tuesday by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association, the organizer of the event, which was set to take place in Sochi in February. The organization plans to name a new site in the coming days.
The association said in a statement that it had made the move “to allow athletes and coaches from all nations to participate in a competition that focused on sport rather than accusations and discussions — whether justified or not.