Russian Olympic champion stripped of medal

LAUSANNE: Russia’s Alexander Tretiakov, who won the skeleton at the Sochi Games in 2014, has been retrospectively disqualified, the International Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday.

The IOC made its decision based on the conclusions of the Oswald Commission which is holding hearings into athletes implicated in Russian state-sponsored doping.

Tretiakov was also banned from the next Olympics. He was one of four Russians punished, the others were Elena Nikitina, the skeleton bronze medallist, Mariia Orlova and Olga Potylitsyna. Russia was quick to respond.

“We think legal norms and fundamental rights have been violated,” said the Russian Bobsleigh Federation in a statement. “We have faith in the total innocence of our athletes and we will defend their rights using every possible means.”

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko told the news agency TASS: “The opinions of athletes were not heard.”

Mutko, the former Sports Minister, continued: “I think it was already clear that all the athletes who were subject to this inquiry were going to be punished.”

After the a 2016 report by Richard McLaren, commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, accused the Russians of state-sponsored doping, the IOC created a commission under Swiss official Denis Oswald. To date, the commission has stripped Russia of six Sochi medals.

The IOC will decide on Dec 5 whether to allow Russia to take part in the next Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. AFP