Suspensions lifted for 4 Russians in skeleton
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Four Russians have been allowed to resume competing in skeleton even though they are under investigation for alleged doping rule breaches at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation said Sunday.
The IBSF had issued provisional suspensions to the four, including Olympic gold medallist Alexander Tretyakov, on Dec. 30 after the International Olympic Committee opened an investigation into apparent tampering with drug test samples.
However, the IBSF said that a hearing on Tuesday found there is so far “not sufficient evidence” to justify provisional suspensions, which keep athletes out of competition for the duration of a doping investigation.
The IBSF’s doping hearing panel says its ruling doesn’t affect the ongoing IOC investigation and “invites the IOC to share any outcome of its investigation with the IBSF in order to potentially reconsider the position of the athletes.”