(ATR) Russia cross country gold medalist Alexander Legkov is on his way to become the first athlete from the Sochi Olympics to be stripped from the prize over doping.
An IOC Disciplinary Commission has ordered that Legkov surrender the gold for the 50 km cross-country event as well as the silver medal in the 4 x 10 km team event, along with his teamates in the relay.
The ruling of the three-member commission is the first in what are expected to be a series of decisions in the coming weeks that may disqualify a number of Russian athletes from competing in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang next February.
The commission, led by Swiss IOC member and attorney Denis Oswald, has the job of reviewing samples collected from Russian athletes competing in Sochi. According to statements from a Russian doctor turned whistleblower, an elaborate process was used to open the vials containing urine samples, manipulate them and then re-seal the bottles.
Oswald and IOC colleagues Juan Antonio Samaranch and Patrick Baumann are studying by forensic analysis the circumstances of each sample deemed to have been tampered.
With 33 medals won in Sochi, the most ever for Russia at a Winter Games, samples were taken from each one of those medalists. In the coming days and weeks the Oswald Commission is expected to make additional announcements on the results of its analysis of the suspect doping samples. Oswald has promised to have the review complete by the end of November.
That timing will allow the cases to come before the nextmeeting of the IOC Executive Board in early December. The EB must ratify decisions of the disciplinary commission for them to take effect.
By the time of that EB meeting, with the totality of the Oswald Commission work in hand, a more accurate picture of what happened in Sochi may emerge. It may vindicate Russia of allegations of systematic doping. Or a flood of disqualifications from Sochi could leave the PyeongChang Olympics with few competitors from Russia.
Along with Legkov, another Russian cross-country athlete, Evgeniy Belov, was also disqualified in a companion announcement today by the Disciplinary Commission.
Belov finished 18th and 25th in the two events from which he now has been disqualified.
Both Belov and Legkov have the right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Russian Olympic Committee has the responsibility of collecting medals, diplomas and insignia from the two athletes. Ski federation FIS is ordered to redraw the results of those events.
With Legkov facing disqualification from the gold-medal in the 50 km cross-country, it's not certain whether the athletes who finished second and third will rise in the medal table. That's because Russian athletes won the silver and bronze in this prestigious event on the final day of the Winter Olympics.
The Oswald Commission will be reviewing those athletes as well.
With Legkov facing disqualification from the gold-medal in the 50 km cross-country, it's not certain whether the athletes who finished second and third will rise in the medal table. That's because Russian athletes won the silver and bronze in this prestigious event on the final day of the Winter Olympics.
The Oswald Commission will be reviewing those athletes as well.
Written by Ed Hula
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