Bear approaches room housing Russian women's biathletes in Sochi
Ina Tereshchenko posted video of a bear rummaging near the entrance; the 22-year-old, a recent Russian relay champion, scared it off.
A wild bear approached the entrance to the athletes' quarters at a training base in Sochi, coming close to the room where members of the Russian women's biathlon team were preparing, a video shared on social media shows.
Incident captured on video
The footage, posted by Russian champion Ina Tereshchenko, shows the animal sniffing and rooting through garbage containers located very near the building's entrance and edging closer several times as if searching for food.
Tereshchenko can be heard making noise to scare the animal away; after that the bear retreated. The 22-year-old athlete has previously had a similar encounter during preparations in Sochi — she shared another video of that interaction in June.
Tereshchenko recently won the Russian national title in the relay as part of the Sverdlovsk Oblast team at the championship held in Tyumen.
In a social-media post dated September 15, 2026, the footage was accompanied by a short description of the scenes. "When they tried to scare the predator with a menacing shout, it simply rose onto its hind legs," the post noted.
No injuries were reported and team staff handled the situation on site; the incident underlined the occasional risks that teams face when training in regions where large wildlife are present.
Photo: press material from the event
