Russian curler Alexander Krushelnytsky has failed a preliminary doping test and could be stripped of his bronze medal as a result, according to Tariq Panja of The New York Times.
Krushelnytsky, who competed in mixed doubles curling with his wife at the Winter Olympics in South Korea, becomes the first athlete from Russia to be investigated for using a banned substance in the 2018 Olympic Games. Meldonium, a heart medication that increases blood flow and was recently prohibited from the Olympics in 2016, was found in a Krushelnytsky urine sample. A second test will be performed for confirmation purposes, according to Olympic Athletes From Russia, which represents over 160 Russian athletes at this year’s games.
This news comes after Russia was banned as a nation from the Olympics as a result of an investigation of a state-backed doping program that occurred during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.
“On the one hand it is extremely disappointing when prohibited substances might have been used, but on the other hand it shows the effectiveness of the antidoping system at the Games which protects the rights of all the clean athletes,” said the International Olympic Committee in a statement on Sunday.
Many Russian athletes have tested positive for meldonium since it was banned, including tennis star Maria Sharapova. Some of the athletes, however, claimed to have taken the substance before its ban was implemented. All of the Russian athletes who have been allowed to participate in the Games in South Korea have been subjected to a rigorous testing regimen, which makes Krushelnytsky’s case all the more surprising.
Krushelnytsky, who competed in mixed doubles curling with his wife at the Winter Olympics in South Korea, becomes the first athlete from Russia to be investigated for using a banned substance in the 2018 Olympic Games. Meldonium, a heart medication that increases blood flow and was recently prohibited from the Olympics in 2016, was found in a Krushelnytsky urine sample. A second test will be performed for confirmation purposes, according to Olympic Athletes From Russia, which represents over 160 Russian athletes at this year’s games.
This news comes after Russia was banned as a nation from the Olympics as a result of an investigation of a state-backed doping program that occurred during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.
“On the one hand it is extremely disappointing when prohibited substances might have been used, but on the other hand it shows the effectiveness of the antidoping system at the Games which protects the rights of all the clean athletes,” said the International Olympic Committee in a statement on Sunday.
Many Russian athletes have tested positive for meldonium since it was banned, including tennis star Maria Sharapova. Some of the athletes, however, claimed to have taken the substance before its ban was implemented. All of the Russian athletes who have been allowed to participate in the Games in South Korea have been subjected to a rigorous testing regimen, which makes Krushelnytsky’s case all the more surprising.
