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Russian Athletics Federation chief says will be replaced by his deputy after resignation

Valentin Balakhnichev announced plans to step down as the ARAF chief last week following recent doping scandals

Russian Athletics Federation chief Valentin Balakhnichev ITAR-TASS/Yuri Mashkov

Russian Athletics Federation chief Valentin Balakhnichev

© ITAR-TASS/Yuri Mashkov

MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. The first vice president of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) will be the acting ARAF chief after President Valentin Balakhnichev's resignation, Balakhnichev said on Monday.

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Russian Anti-Doping Agency disqualifies athletes Chernova, Zaripova

Balakhnichev announced plans to step down as the ARAF chief last week following recent doping scandals. He said he was ready to resign on February 17 during an ARAF presidium meeting.

"Under the (ARAF) charter my deputy (Vadim) Zelichenok should become my successor before the new chief is elected," Balakhnichev told TASS.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) announced on Friday that athletes Tatiana Chernova and Yulia Zaripova had 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.

On January 20, RUSADA said 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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