‘Absurd events’

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova meanwhile denounced the “absurd events”.

Police intervention a day before competition would create “a strange, oppressive and destabilising atmosphere for athletes,” she said during a regular briefing.

The International Biathlon Union (IBU) said it was “aware of the action taken by the Austrian state authorities in the Russian National Biathlon Team’s accommodation in Hochfilzen”.

Some of the athletes concerned took to Instagram to react to the accusations. Biathlete Evgeniy Garanichev, who won individual bronze at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, said: “I am on the list of people suspected of breaking anti-doping rules!! Another scandal!!! We are clean...”

Alexander Loginov, who served a two-year ban for using the banned blood booster EPO from November 2014 to November 2016, said in a post on Thursday that “yesterday, I —and other— were accused of some sort of plot to do with blood transfusions”.

Earlier this year the IBU’s president Anders Besseberg and its general secretary Nicole Resch faced accusations that they helped cover up Russian doping in the Winter Olympic sport combining cross-country skiing and shooting.

Besseberg stepped down in April and was replaced by Swede Olle Dahlin in September.

Earlier this month Czech biathlon chief Jiri Hamza said he and his family had been threatened by Russian officials in an attempt to “silence” him on the issue of doping.

Hamza became the first vice- president of the IBU after Besseberg’s resignation.