‘It’s outrageous’: Russia’s star skater Viktor Ahn demands explanation for Pyeongchang Winter Olympics ban
Six-time Olympic gold medallist writes open letter to International Olympic Committee to protest his innocence amid Russian doping scandal
Russia’s short-track speedskating star Viktor Ahn has demanded to know why he has been excluded from next month’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, insisting he never took performance-enhancing drugs.
The six-time Olympic gold medallist – who was born in South Korea but switched his allegiance to Russia in 2011 – has been banned from taking part in next month’s Games in South Korea in the aftermath of a state-sponsored doping scandal, along with a string of other Russian athletes.
Ahn, 32, had hoped to compete in his birth country under a neutral Olympic flag.
In an open letter to International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, Ahn insisted he was in strict compliance with anti-doping legislation.
“It is outrageous that there is no concrete reason which explains my exclusion from the Olympics,” Ahn wrote.
“I hope that the IOC will ultimately declare their reason for my exclusion, so I will be able to defend my honour and dignity,” he said in the letter carried by Russian media on Friday.
