The U.S. biathlon team announced Thursday that it will boycott the final stage of the Biathlon World Cup, to be hosted in Russia in March, due to the country's history of doping.

"The (International Biathlon Union's) recent decision to move forward with the World Cup final in Tyumen, Russia is completely unacceptable," the athletes said in a statement obtained by Rachel Axon of USA Today. "In support of clean sport and our own physical safety, we cannot in good conscience participate."

Up to 30 athletes from eight different countries expressed their concern about the event's location, writing letters to the IBU in protest, according to the American team's statement.

The U.S. biathletes said they supported "the right of clean Russian athletes to complete" but warned that the IBU was sending the wrong message by allowing the country to host.

"With Russia still being out of compliance with the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) Code, with threats of physical harm to athletes who travel to Russia, with six athletes already sanctioned by the IBU and IOC from the 2014 Olympic season and another case awaiting a decision, holding the World Cup final in Russia now sends an outrageous message of anti-doping indifference to the world."

Prior to the start of PyeongChang 2018, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected appeals from 45 Russian athletes to compete in the games after they had been banned for alleged doping. All 168 Russian athletes who did compete in the Winter Games did so under the Olympic flag as the Olympic Athletes from Russia and had to wear neutral uniforms. Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky has already been stripped of a bronze medal for doping and bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva failed a drug test.