World Cup skiing events scheduled to take place in Russia have been cancelled following the invasion of Ukraine – but only after farcical scenes which saw solely Russian athletes compete on Friday amid a boycott by other nations, including Great Britain.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) belatedly announced that it would be cancelling or relocating all remaining World Cup competitions scheduled to take place in the country until the end of the season, citing the “safety of all participants” and the “integrity of the World Cup.”

But of the six events impacted, one – the ski cross event in Sunny Valley – had already gotten underway, with qualification for both the men’s and women’s competitions taking place on Friday morning.

Official results showed only Russian athletes taking part – seven women and six men – with skiers from other countries listed as ‘did not start’. Twenty-four women were due to start as well as 61 men. The non-starters included the new Olympic champions Ryan Regez of Switzerland and Sandra Näeslund of Sweden.

National governing bodies from Sweden, Norway and the United States had all vowed to boycott the World Cups if they were not moved in response to Russia’s declaration of war on Ukraine by President Vladimir Putin, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two. Erik Røste, president of Norwegian Ski Federation, had said: “This is bigger than sport and sport cannot be neutral in such a situation.”

Great Britain had two competitors, ski cross athlete Ollie Davies and aerials skier Lloyd Wallace, in Russia for competitions this weekend with GB Snowsport pulling out both Beijing 2022 Winter Olympians due to safety fears prior to the announcement by FIS. The duo, plus a member of support staff, are in the process of returning home.

Likewise, the Ski Association of Japan followed Alpine Canada in withdrawing athletes on Friday.

In a statement, FIS said replacement hosts and dates for all competitions would be confirmed at a later date.

“FIS has decided that in the interest of the safety of all participants and to maintain the integrity of the World Cup, that all remaining World Cup events scheduled to take place in Russia between now and the end of the 2021-22 season will be cancelled or moved to another location,” the statement read.

“Participants are already on site at the two World Cup events that were planned for this weekend (Ski Cross and Aerials) and FIS is working closely with the involved stakeholders to ensure their quick return back home.”

The final natural track World Cup luge event of the season, due to be held in Moscow this weekend, was also cancelled due to security concerns.

“The safety of the athletes is our top priority at all times,” said Einars Fogelis, president of the International Luge Federation.

“Therefore, after the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, our first goal was to bring all athletes as well as the coaches and officials involved home safely.”