French former biathlon star Simon Fourcade has revealed that he has been subjected to “hundreds of messages of hatred” after speaking out against the suspensions imposed on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Fourcade, 37, made a show of support for Russian biathletes when he rearranged a French flag into a Russian one and attached it to a cabin at the World Junior Championships in America in February, after all Russian symbols were stripped from the event.
Fourcade explained to Russia’s Match TV in an extensive interview last week that he took the step because he fundamentally disagreed with blanket suspensions imposed on Russian and Belarusian athletes due to the conflict in Ukraine.