Russia's Sochi 2014 bronze medallist Elena Nikitina claimed "no money will be paid to us at the end of the season" after sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine ©Getty Images

Sochi 2014 women's skeleton Olympic bronze medallist Elena Nikitina has claimed that Russian athletes have not received prize money from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) for the last two seasons.

Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials have been banned from IBSF events following the invasion of Ukraine, with the Bobsleigh Federation of Russia suspended until the Congress in July 2022.

Russian state news agency TASS reported that the IBSF is awaiting the return of prize money from pilot Alexander Kasjanov, who has not competed in an IBSF event since December 2018 after being handed a two-year ban for an anti-doping violation which ran until December 2020.

According to Nikitina, who earned a women's and mixed team skeleton bronze medal at last year's IBSF World Championships and finished third on the IBSF World Cup for 2021-2022, measures imposed against the Bobsleigh Federation of Russia have provided a further stumbling block.

"I did not receive prize money from the International Federation, not only for the Olympic, but even for the pre-Olympic season," Nikitina told TASS.

"All our skeleton and bobsledders were in the same situation, that the bobsleigh guys did not return the prizes for the results cancelled later.

"And that if they do not have money, then we will have to pay everything until the entire debt, the amount of which I do not know, is covered.

Russian skeleton athlete Elena Nikitina took bronze in the women's and mixed team events at last year's IBSF World Championships ©Getty Images
Russian skeleton athlete Elena Nikitina took bronze in the women's and mixed team events at last year's IBSF World Championships ©Getty Images

"Then we spoke directly with IBSF President Ivo Ferriani and tried to convince him of the injustice of such an attitude towards us, and that we should not be responsible for others.

"He asked us to be patient a little and said that for the last season we would receive money along with prize money for this season.

"But now we are being told that sanctions have been imposed against Russia, so no money will be paid to us at the end of the season."

Insidethegames has asked the IBSF for a comment.

The military assault on Ukraine has been widely condemned and led to Russia, as well as its ally Belarus, largely being frozen out of international sport.

Russia has been accused of committing war crimes in Bucha near the capital Kyiv, with Ukraine and Poland arguing the killings of civilians amounts to genocide.

The United Nations has reported that more than 4.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on February 24 and at least 1,932 civilians have been killed, although it is feared that the true figure is far higher.