IOC drugs humiliation as Russian fails test
The International Olympic Committee’s contentious decision to resist a blanket ban on Russian athletes at Pyeongchang 2018 backfired enormously last night after one of the nation’s medallists failed a doping test.
A spokesman for the Olympic Athletes from Russia confirmed to Sportsmail that the team had been notified of an adverse finding and said the results of the B sample would be known today.
he would not confirm the identity of the athlete, but it is reported by Russian media to be Alexander Krushelnitsky, who won a mixed doubles curling bronze medal with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova.
Krushelnitsky is said to have tested positive for meldonium — the same substance for which tennis star Maria Sharapova tested positive in 2016.
It has been reported that Krushelnitsky told Russian officials that he fears a teammate who was not selected for these Winter Games spiked his drink with the banned substance at a training camp in Japan before he travelled to South Korea.
Depending on the results of the B sample, it could be a huge embarrassment for the IOC, which has drawn major criticism for allowing a limited number of clean Russians to compete under an Olympic Athletes from Russia banner despite the vast evidence of a state-sponsored doping system.
An IOC spokesperson said in a statement: ‘ On the one hand it is extremely disappointing when prohibited substances might 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 the clean athletes’.
The Russian Olympic Committee was suspended by the IOC in December over the country’s widespread doping at the Sochi 2014 Games, with the caveat that athletes who proved they were clean could compete as neutrals.
That stance was attacked as too soft at the time and again after 168 Russian athletes gained entry to compete in the OAR team. Certainly, this latest development would appear to vindicate that view and leaves the IOC needing to deal with the potential reputational damage of the failed test. Meldonium is generally used to treat heart issues and diabetes and is common in eastern europe. Sharapova is the most high-profile athlete to have tested positive for it and received a two-year ban, reduced to 15 months on appeal, after traces of the drug were found in a doping test. The substance was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list in January 2016 because it can increase blood flow and boost endurance.
KRuShelnITSKy and Bryzgalova won bronze after beating norway. ‘I hope it’s not true for the sport of curling,’ said norwegian team skipper Thomas ulsrud. ‘If it’s true I feel really sad for the norwegian team who worked really hard and ended up in fourth place and just left for norway and they aren’t even here.’
The IOC has previously indicated that the Russians might be allowed to march with the Russian flag and in national uniform at the Games closing ceremony on February 25 provided they comply with their code on neutrality.
That has always given the initial ban on Russia the appearance of a short-term slap on the wrist, but if the B sample of this failed test is also positive, the IOC will face major pressure to prevent the nation from returning to the Olympic stage. The OAR team have 11 medals so far — three silvers and eight bronzes.