Sports policy: IOC blocks four more Russian cross-country skiers for life

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended four other Russian cross-country skiers from the Olympic Games for their entire lifelong use due to doping after Alexander Legkov and Yevgeny Belov. This is reported by the Russian media.

The most prominent athlete from this quartet is Maxim Wylegschanin (35), twice silver medal winner at the Winter Games in Sochi in 2014. His results from the Olympic home game will be deleted, and those of the other three players affected. They had stayed in Sochi without medals.

In addition, Alexei Petukhov (34), World Champion 2013 in the team sprint, Julia Ivanova (32), World Championship third in 2013 with the relay, and Yevgeniya Shapovalova (31) were suspended. Like Olympic gold medallists Legkow (34) and Below (27), all of them had already been suspended by the FIS in December 2016.

The IOC had suspended all functions of the Olympic Games in Sochi for life due to doping at the Winter Games at the beginning of the month Legkov and Below. The decision was made after an initial hearing of the six Russian athletes suspended by the FIS by the Oswald Commission appointed by the IOC.

This commission is responsible for sanctioning the 28 suspicious Russian Sochi starters named in the McLaren report. Additional locks are expected. German athletes have so far not advanced to medal ranks due to the disqualifications.