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https://scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2058409/four-russian-skeleton-athletes-suspended-over-doping-claims Other Sport
Four Russian skeleton athletes suspended over doping claims as 2014 Sochi Olympic Games fallout continues
International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation bans competitors as the fallout from a bombshell expose into state-backed doping takes another twist
An athlete in action at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Photo: AP
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation suspended four Russian competitors on Friday as the fallout from a bombshell expose into state-backed doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics took another twist.
TASS news agency quoted Russian bobsleigh federation president Alexander Zubkov as expressing his “disagreement with this decision”.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) said they had acted after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had informed them that investigations into alleged anti-doping rule violations in connection with the 2014 Olympics in Sochi had been opened.
“The IBSF in accordance with the IBSF Anti-Doping Rules ... therefore provisionally suspends four Russian Skeleton athletes as of 30 December 2016,” said the IBSF in a statement.
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“The athletes and the Russian Bobsleigh Federation have been informed about the provisional suspension accordingly.”
Earlier this month, the IBSF announced they were taking the 2017 bobsleigh and skeleton world championships away from Sochi amidst accusations of state-sponsored doping in Russia made in the McLaren report.
The February 13 to 26 event will now be hosted by Koenigsee in Germany.