RBU head Mikhail Prokhorov: juggling biathlon and politics is tricky

Mikhail Prokhorov, the head of Russian Biathlon Union and presidential candidate in the Russian presidential election, vowed to leave his job in the sport if his political career starts to get in the way.

The national biathlon team finished the world championships in Germany on Sunday with two bronze medals, its worst-ever showing at the world championships, excluding the smaller-scale events held in Olympic years.

Prokhorov, who also owns the New Jersey Nets basketball team, admitted the pressure of the election campaign, in which he came third, meant he had neglected his duties with the biathlon federation.

«For three months, while the election campaign was going on, I paid almost no attention to what was happening to our team,» the billionaire said on his blog.

«This is my failing, my fault as president of the Russian Biathlon Union. I’m not trying to shift the blame onto anyone else. If I conclude that I am no longer in the condition to effectively combine the management of biathlon with politics, I don’t rule out resigning from the post at the end of the year,» Prokhorov wrote.