The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has said that it has given a life ban to Russia’s Olympic gold medallist, Alexander Legkov and his compatriot Evgeniy Belov over doping at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games.
Legkov won gold in the 50km and silver in the 4x10km relay event. The IOC also disqualified all Russia’s 4x10km team due to Legkov doping offence.
Belov competed in the men’s skiatholon 15+15km mass start and also in the 15km classic country skiing event.
Both Athletes were the first Russians sanctioned for anti-doping violations following IOC’s investigations into a widespread doping among Russian Athletes.
Although the IOC did not specify on the nature of the anti-doping violation committed, stating that both athletes were “ineligible to be accredited in any capacity for all editions of the games, subsequent to the Sochi Olympic Winter Games.”
The IOC also added that further decisions would be made upon completion of investigations into the Russian competitors in Sochi by the disciplinary commission.
Russia has not taken it all, as the Russia’s cross country Skiing Federation has prepared to file an appeal against the ban.
“The federation has already begun preparing documents for an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Federation president Elena Valbe and other employees of the federation will not give further comments.”
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Following revelations by Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow’s discredited anti-doping laboratory, of a scheme to cover up home competitors’ positive samples, the IOC has begun re-testing all Russian athletes’ samples from the 2014 Games.
The Sochi scandal is part of a wider doping affair in Russia which has led to the suspension of the country’s anti-doping agency and an international ban for track and field athletes.
Two commissions were set up by the IOC to investigate Sochi.
The one led by Oswald is in charge of looking into alleged doping violations by individual Russian athletes while second investigation commission is chaired by former Switzerland President Samuel Schmid and is looking into allegations of institutionalized doping in Russia.
The IOC has said it will decide during its executive board meeting being held from December 5th – 7th, on the participation of Russian competitors at the Pyeongchang winter Olympics in February.
Meanwhile calls from some Athletes and anti-doping Agencies for a blanket ban of Russians in Pyeongchang have been growing louder in recent weeks.
Russian track and field Athletes were banned from the Rio de Janeiro summer Games following the doping affair, including female tennis player Maria Sharapova.
