Pyeonchang Games 2018: Russian Curler faces Anti-Doping Case
Mon Feb 19, 2018 09:54:am Sports
4.7K By franklyn Anude
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) says it has opened an anti-doping case against Russian medal-winning curler Alexander Krushelnitsky, who won bronze with his wife in the mixed doubles at the Winter Olympics on Tuesday.
The case against Alexander Krushelnitsky, who is suspected of testing positive for meldonium - a banned substance that increases blood flow and improves exercise capacity - was opened at the request of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The identity of the athlete was first confirmed the Reuters news agency .
168 athletes from Russia, who could prove they are clean, are competing at the winter games under Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR) following a ban on the Russia for a state sponsored doping program at the Sochi 2014 winter games held in Russia.
An IOC statement said: "Doping, testing and sanctioning at the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 is independent from the IOC. Therefore the IOC cannot communicate on individual cases while the procedure is ongoing."
Krushelnitsky is in Seoul awaiting the result of the test on the B sample, which is expected later on Monday. Russian curling federation president Dmitry Svishchev confirmed that the team's curlers were on 22 January tested on 22 January, before they left for South Korea. The test he said, were negative. "I have known these guys for many years," Svishchev said. "Only a crazy person takes banned substances before a competition, before the Olympics. It's a strange story. It raises a lot of questions."
The IOC in a statement, insists it has in place "a strong testing programme". The statement added: "On the one hand it is extremely disappointing when prohibitive substances may have been used, but on the other hand it shows the effectiveness of the anti-doping system at the Games which protects the rights of all clean athletes."
The case against Alexander Krushelnitsky, who is suspected of testing positive for meldonium - a banned substance that increases blood flow and improves exercise capacity - was opened at the request of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The identity of the athlete was first confirmed the Reuters news agency .
168 athletes from Russia, who could prove they are clean, are competing at the winter games under Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR) following a ban on the Russia for a state sponsored doping program at the Sochi 2014 winter games held in Russia.
An IOC statement said: "Doping, testing and sanctioning at the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 is independent from the IOC. Therefore the IOC cannot communicate on individual cases while the procedure is ongoing."
Krushelnitsky is in Seoul awaiting the result of the test on the B sample, which is expected later on Monday. Russian curling federation president Dmitry Svishchev confirmed that the team's curlers were on 22 January tested on 22 January, before they left for South Korea. The test he said, were negative. "I have known these guys for many years," Svishchev said. "Only a crazy person takes banned substances before a competition, before the Olympics. It's a strange story. It raises a lot of questions."
The IOC in a statement, insists it has in place "a strong testing programme". The statement added: "On the one hand it is extremely disappointing when prohibitive substances may have been used, but on the other hand it shows the effectiveness of the anti-doping system at the Games which protects the rights of all clean athletes."
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