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Russian Anti-Doping Agency disqualifies athletes Chernova, Zaripova

The president of the All-Russia Athletics Federation is ready to resign on February 17
Tatiana Chernova (right) ITAR-TASS/Georgy Andreyev
Tatiana Chernova (right)
© ITAR-TASS/Georgy Andreyev

MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) said on on Friday athletes Tatiana Chernova and Yulia Zaripova have been disqualified.

Zaripova, a 2011 world athletics champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, was disqualified for two years and six months from July 25, 2013.

Chernova, a 2008 and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and 2011 world champion, was disqualified for two years from July 22, 2013.

Valentin Balakhnichev, the president of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF), told TASS he expected no more doping scandals with Russian athletes in the near future.

"We can say that we have turned this page in the history of Russian athletics," Balakhnichev said.

He also said he is ready to resign on February 17 during an ARAF presidium meeting.

Balakhnichev added that a new coach of the Russian national athletics team would be appointed next week.

The former coach, Valentin Maslakov, stepped down on January 23 following the recent doping scandals.

RUSADA announced January 20 that Olympic Champions in race walk Valery Borchin, Sergey Kirdyapkin and Olga Kaniskina as well as Russia’s 2011 World Champion Sergey Bakulin and 2011 World Championship silver medalist Vladimir Kanaikin were suspended after they were found guilty of violating anti-doping regulations. Their suspension was based on irregularities in their biological passports, which were indicators to abuse of performance enhancing drugs.

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