Russian curler Aleksandr Krushelnitckii has been suspended from the 2018 Winter Olympics following the results of a drug test in which he tested positive for Meldonium. Meldonium is a drug commonly used in Eastern European countries to treat heart disease but has been on the WADA list of banned substances since 2016 for its alleged performance-enhancing effects in athletes.
When asked about the charge Krushelnitckii said:
“First of all, I want to apologize to my partners on the Olympic team, our delegation and all the fans for not being able to protect ourselves and Nastya from the problems that we faced today. I’m very sorry that the previous victory of Russian curling has now become the subject of a doping scandal, which is doing immense harm to our sport and to all Russian sports in general.”
However, after apologizing for the incident, Krushelnitckii went on to deny the allegations saying, “I am ready to openly state that I have never, ever during my time participating in sport, ever used forbidden drugs and any other dishonest ways of competition in competitive sport.”
Although Russia has said they are ready to defend these allegations, the OAR (Olympic Athletes of Russia) described the situation as “a huge blow both in reputation and in career.”
This is unwelcome news for Russia who are competing under the guise of OAR (Olympic Athletes of Russia) after the IOC announced Russia would be banned from the 2018 Olympic games following the results of an investigation into a state-sponsored doping program for Russian Athletes. The IOC then reviewed which athletes could be considered “clean” and compete under the new moniker. Krushelnitckii would have been carefully reviewed and selected following these guidelines and is subsequently maintaining his innocence. It is understood that he has told Russian Authorities he believes a former teammate who was not selected for the OAR team may have spiked his drink with the drug during a training session prior to the games.
The Russian Curling Federation has announced it will be seeking an appeal as vice-president Andrei Sozin told Russian news agency TASS, “We have filed an application to the Investigative Committee (of Russia) to probe the case.”
He went on to say, “we have also requested data from video cameras in Japan and South Korea to show who entered the premises and so on.”
Sozin was adamant in defending Krushelnitckii’s innocence saying, “He guarantees that he does not use meldonium and is ready for any probe and we trust him. This drug is absent from the doctor’s medicine box and from him.”
Although he denies the allegations, the investigation and charge mean that Krushelnitckii as well as his partner, Anastasia Bryzgalova, will be stripped of the bronze medals they were awarded in the mixed doubles curling event earlier in the games. The medal will now be awarded to Norwegian duo Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien.
A criminal investigation has been launched but a hearing date for Krushelnitckii’s trial has yet to be set.
H/T The Independent & MSN