Disappeared without a trace: Ukrainian team no longer competes in Tour de Ski!

Toblach (Italy) - They simply didn't start the fourth race together, nobody knows where they are! The entire Ukrainian team at the Tour de Ski is shrouded in mystery.

The cross-country athletes were absent from the pursuit race on New Year's Day in Dobbiaco, Italy. Neither the world federation nor the organizers knew about it, and the skiers had not signed out with anyone.

"I have no idea where they went," Michal Lamplot, competition director at the International Ski Federation, toldExpressen. Although all of the team's athletes were on the start list, there was no trace of them when the race started.

"I don't know where they are. They just didn't show up at the start today. Sometimes some teams forget to notify us. I don't know what the reason was this time," Lamplot continued.

Could the mediocre sporting performance at the previous three stops have played a role?

Viktoria Olekh, Anastasia Nikon and Sofiia Shkatula were in last place in the overall standings after the third race in Dobbiaco, all more than 17 minutes behind the leaders.

After the 15-kilometer race in classic style, Olekh told Expressen that she had problems with the altitude in Dobbiaco. Although they were all still at the start on New Year's Eve, no one saw them afterwards.

The team's only male athlete, Andriy Dotsenko, finished second last on New Year's Eve in 90th place. "I don't know what happened," said FIS press officer Synne Dyrhaug.

After the four races in Toblach, the Tour de Ski continues on Friday in Val die Fiemme. There, the classic style sprint, the 30-kilometre skiathlon and the 10-kilometre freestyle mass start are on the program again.

Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (28) and his compatriot Astrid Øyre Slind (36) are leading the overall standings.